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Association between quetiapine use and self-harm outcomes among people with recorded personality disorder in UK primary care: A self-controlled case series analysis

Hayes, Joseph F; Hardoon, Sarah; Deighton, Jessica; Viding, Essi; Osborn, David Pj; (2022) Association between quetiapine use and self-harm outcomes among people with recorded personality disorder in UK primary care: A self-controlled case series analysis. Journal of Psychopharmacology , 36 (11) pp. 1218-1225. 10.1177/02698811221131990. Green open access

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Quetiapine is frequently prescribed to people with personality disorder diagnoses, but this is not supported by evidence or treatment guidelines. AIMS: To examine associations between periods of quetiapine prescribing and self-harm events in people with personality disorder. METHOD: Self-controlled case series using linked primary care and hospital records covering the period 2007-2017. We calculated incidence rates and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for self-harm events during periods when people were prescribed (exposed to) quetiapine, as well as periods when they were unexposed or pre-exposed to quetiapine. RESULTS: We analysed data from 1,082 individuals with established personality disorder diagnoses, all of whom had at least one period of quetiapine prescribing and at least one self-harm episode. Their baseline rate of self-harm (greater than 12 months before quetiapine treatment) was 0.52 episodes per year. Self-harm rates were elevated compared to the baseline rate in the month after quetiapine treatment was commenced (IRR 1.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.46-2.34) and remained raised throughout the year after quetiapine treatment was started. However, self-harm rates were highest in the month prior to quetiapine initiation (IRR 3.59; 95% CI 2.83-4.55) and were elevated from 4 months before quetiapine initiation, compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Self-harm rates were elevated throughout the first year of quetiapine prescribing, compared to the baseline rate. However, rates of self-harm reduced in the month after patients commenced quetiapine, compared to the month before quetiapine was initiated. Self-harm rates gradually dropped over a year of quetiapine treatment. Quetiapine may acutely reduce self-harm. Longer-term use and any potential benefits need to be balanced with the risk of adverse events.

Type: Article
Title: Association between quetiapine use and self-harm outcomes among people with recorded personality disorder in UK primary care: A self-controlled case series analysis
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1177/02698811221131990
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811221131990
Language: English
Additional information: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Keywords: Personality disorder, quetiapine, self-harm
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Division of Psychiatry > Epidemiology and Applied Clinical Research
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10158867
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