500 people a year die from overdosing on anti-depressants, figures reveal

September 5, 2005
by Angela Hussain

Around 500 people a year on average die from overdosing on anti-depressants, new government figures reveal.

A total of 5179 people committed suicide between 1993 and 2003 after overdosing on the drugs, Office For National Statistics (ONS) research has found.

Most deaths (378) were within the strategic health authority area of Manchester, while the least number (75) were in the North London strategic health authority area.

The research, published in the ONS's autumn health statistics quarterly, found that the higher the rate that GPs prescribed drugs in general, the higher the rate that people overdosed on anti-depressants.

Last month's report read: "Anti-depressant prescribing rates varied considerably at strategic health authority [SHA] level, with a two-fold difference between SHAs with the highest and lowest prescribing rates.

"SHAs with higher mortality rates tended to also have higher prescribing rates."

The research also found that Monday is the most common (around 16%) day that people commit suicide, while Saturday is the least common (around 13%)

Read for yourself:
Office For National Statistics' Health Statistics Quarterly (pdf)

See also:
April 26, 2005: Most GPs prescribe anti-depressants even though they believe other approaches might be more effective, research claims - charity launches campaign for exercise to be first-choice treatment for people with mild to moderate depression
April 26, 2005: European warning on Prozac for under-18-year-olds contravenes advice in Britain - GPs and psychiatrists in Britain now face conflicting advice

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