Abstract
Fifty-three cases of drug overdose requiring admission to a medical intensive care unit were studied. Tricyclic antidepressants were used in nearly 50 per cent of these serious adult overdoses. Barbiturates were involved in only 20 per cent. This may reflect changing patterns of drug usage and emphasizes the potential danger of tricyclics, the use of which is widespread in the general medical community. Unintentional overdoses occurred most often in substance abusers, whereas intentional overdoses occurred in a wider range of psychiatric disorders. A quarter of drug overdoses were free of psychiatric disease. Patients found to have an obvious manipulative intent were as likely to have made medically serious attempts as those who did not.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.