Benzodiazepine Addiction and Suicidal Risk in the Elderly

Results

Seventy-three patients were included (male/female ratio = 1.08). Among the 51 patients who used benzodiazepines, 41 (80%) met the criteria for dependence. Nearly half of the patients (49%) reported a history of suicide attempts, with an average of 1.86 attempts (range: 1–4) and a mean interval of 24.9 years since the last episode (range: 2–43). Most attempts (58%) were described as impulsive rather than premeditated.

The most frequently reported motives were negative emotions (22%), family conflicts (19%), delusional ideas (17%), and hallucinations (11%). The most common method was intentional drug ingestion (28%), followed by strangulation (17%) and defenestration (17%); anxiolytics were involved in 60% of drug ingestions.

In 86% of cases, the act occurred when the patient was alone, most often at home (67%), predominantly during nighttime hours (20:00–04:00; 44%) and more frequently in autumn (39%). The suicidal act was mainly reactive in nature (44%).

According to the Ducher Suicide Risk Scale, 40% of patients expressed no death-related thoughts, whereas the remaining 60% presented a range from transient thoughts to active suicidal ideation.

BZD-dependent patients had significantly more frequent histories of suicide attempts (p = 0.01), a shorter duration between the last suicide attempt and the current evaluation (p = 0.03), and more frequent suicidal acts motivated by interpersonal conflicts or psychotic symptoms (delusions, hallucinations) (p = 0.045). They also presented suicidal ideation at the time of the interview (p = 0.045) and had higher scores on the Ducher scale compared to non-dependent patients (p = 0.005).