OBJECTIVE: Antidepressant sales and suicide rates have been shown to be correlated in industrialized countries. The aim was to study the possible effects of psychotherapy utilization on suicide rates. METHOD: We assessed the impact of antidepressant sales and psychotherapist density on suicide rates between 1991 and 2005. To adjust for serial correlation in time series, three first-order autoregressive models adjusted for per capita alcohol consumption and unemployment rates were employed. RESULTS: Antidepressant sales and the density of psychotherapists in the population were negatively associated with suicide rates. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that decreasing suicide rates were associated with both increasing antidepressant sales and an increasing density of psychotherapists. The decrease of suicide rates could reflect a general improvement in mental health care rather than being caused by antidepressant sales or psychotherapist density alone.
OBJECTIVE: Antidepressant sales and suicide rates have been shown to be correlated in industrialized countries. The aim was to study the possible effects of psychotherapy utilization on suicide rates. METHOD: We assessed the impact of antidepressant sales and psychotherapist density on suicide rates between 1991 and 2005. To adjust for serial correlation in time series, three first-order autoregressive models adjusted for per capita alcohol consumption and unemployment rates were employed. RESULTS: Antidepressant sales and the density of psychotherapists in the population were negatively associated with suicide rates. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that decreasing suicide rates were associated with both increasing antidepressant sales and an increasing density of psychotherapists. The decrease of suicide rates could reflect a general improvement in mental health care rather than being caused by antidepressant sales or psychotherapist density alone.
Authors: Ingo W Nader; Jakob Pietschnig; Thomas Niederkrotenthaler; Nestor D Kapusta; Gernot Sonneck; Martin Voracek Journal: PLoS One Date: 2011-02-24 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Ricardo Gusmão; Sónia Quintão; David McDaid; Ella Arensman; Chantal Van Audenhove; Claire Coffey; Airi Värnik; Peeter Värnik; James Coyne; Ulrich Hegerl Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-06-19 Impact factor: 3.240