Effect of Prophylactic Treatment on Suicide Risk in Patients with Major Affective Disorders

K. Thies-Flechtner; B. Müller-Oerlinghausen; W. Seibert; A. Walther; W. Greil

doi:10.1055/s-2007-979553

Subscribe to RSS

Please copy the URL and add it into your RSS Feed Reader.

https://www.thieme-connect.de/rss/thieme/en/10.1055-s-00000054.xml

Share / Bookmark

Facebook X Linkedin Weibo

Download PDF

Pharmacopsychiatry 1996; 29(3): 103-107
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-979553

Original Paper

Effect of Prophylactic Treatment on Suicide Risk in Patients with Major Affective Disorders

Data from a Randomized Prospective TrialK. Thies-Flechtner¹ , B. Müller-Oerlinghausen¹ , W. Seibert² , A. Walther³ , W. Greil³

¹Department of Psychiatry, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
²Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Lübeck, Germany
³Psychiatric Hospital, Munich University, Germany

Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2007 (online)

Also available at

PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Recent findings have indicated that lithium treatment markedly reduces suicide risk in major affective disorders. To compare the effect of lithium with carbamazepine and amitriptyline, suicidal behavior was analyzed during the randomized prospective long-term MAP study (N = 378; duration 2.5 years). Of the nine suicides and five attempted suicides, none took place during lithium treatment. The findings support the view that lithium has a specific antisuicidal effect over and above its prophylactic benefit.

>