A study of deaths involving antidepressants which were reported to the SMR from 1998 to 2000 (468 out of 4,167 drug-related deaths in that period; Cheeta et al. 2004). The study found that most were suicides (80%), was published in 2004. Tricyclic antidepressants accounted for more drug mentions than any other antidepressants (12 per million prescriptions). SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) were associated with a significantly lower risk of toxicity but 93 per cent of deaths from SSRIs occurred in combination with other drugs, especially tricyclics (24.5%). In ‘combination’ deaths, patients were significantly more likely to have had a history of illegal drug use.

References
Cheeta, S., Schifano, S., Oyefeso, A., Webb, L. and Ghodse, A. H. (2004). Antidepressant-related deaths and antidepressant prescriptions in England and Wales, 1998-2000. British Journal of Psychiatry. 184 (January): 41-7.