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Depression / Depressive Disorder · Journal article
Journal of Affective Disorders · August 15, 2026
Encouraging direction, but not yet definitive.
This national cohort study found that sustained psychiatric medication (≥75% adherence over six months post-attempt) reduced one-year suicide reattempt risk in depressed patients from 7.9% to 5.3%, with a protective effect concentrated in those under 65 years. However, survival analysis showed no significant long-term benefit over seven years, and the mechanism and persistence of treatment beyond six months remain unclear.
Retrospective cohort study with stabilized inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW) based on propensity scores. Adults aged 18 years or older (mean 47.4 ± 17.3 years, range 19–96) diagnosed with depressive disorder who attempted suicide in 2014, identified from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database.. Intervention: Sustained psychiatric medication (antidepressant or antipsychotic treatment for ≥75% of six months post-attempt). Compared with: No sustained psychiatric medication (receiving treatment for <75% of six months post-attempt). n = 4,925. South Korea (national health insurance database).
One-year reattempt rate 5.3% with medication versus 7.9% without medication (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.504–0.846, p=0.001) No significant long-term difference in reattempt risk over seven-year follow-up (IPTW-adjusted log-rank p=0.886) Protective effect present only in patients <65 years (OR 0.621, 95% CI 0.471–0.822, p<0.001)
Study does not report absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat, or discontinuation/adherence rates beyond the ≥75% threshold definition.
Sustained antidepressant or antipsychotic treatment post-attempt reduces short-term reattempt risk in younger depressed patients, supporting early intensive medication adherence efforts. However, the absence of long-term protective effect and lack of benefit in older adults warrant caution in extrapolation and suggest that treatment strategy beyond six months requires further investigation.
A rigorous observational study with propensity-score adjustment showing a clear short-term protective effect (one-year reattempt reduction) in a clinically relevant population, but limited by observational design, lack of long-term benefit, and age-specific effects that require confirmation.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Sustained antidepressant or antipsychotic treatment post-attempt reduces short-term reattempt risk in younger depressed patients, supporting early intensive medication adherence efforts. However, the absence of long-term protective effect and lack of benefit in older adults warrant caution in extrapolation and suggest that treatment strategy beyond six months requires further investigation.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Background. This post-hoc analysis examined the effect of sustained psychiatric medication on suicide reattempt risk among Korean patients with depression following an initial attempt.Methods. Using the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database, we identified adults aged 18 years and older diagnosed with depressive disorder who attempted suicide in 2014 (N = 4925; mean age 47.4 ± 17.3 years, range 19-96). Sustained psychiatric medication was defined as receiving antidepressant or antipsychotic treatment for ≥75% of the six months after the index attempt. Stabilized inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting (IPTW) based on propensity scores addressed baseline imbalances. Logistic regression assessed one-year reattempt risk; survival analyses examined long-term risk over up to seven years (from index through August 31, 2020; median follow-up 5.9 years, maximum 6.7 years). Exploratory subgroup analyses compared patients <65 and ≥ 65 years.Results. After IPTW, baseline characteristics were balanced. The one-year reattempt rate was 5.3% with medication versus 7.9% without (OR:0.65, 95% CI:0.504-0.846, P = 0.001). Survival analyses over the seven-year follow-up showed no significant long-term difference (IPTW-adjusted log-rank P = 0.886). The protective effect was evident only in patients <65 years (OR:0.621, 95% CI:0.471-0.822, P < 0.001), with no significant effect in those ≥65 years.Conclusions. Sustained psychiatric medication after a suicide attempt reduces one-year reattempt risk in patients with depression, in particular in those aged under 65 years. The benefit of initial treatment did not persist over seven years, suggesting that the effect of continued treatment beyond six months warrants future investigation.
Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.