Antidepressants and anxiety medication were the cause of half the intentional overdoses treated in the first five months of this year, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.

Mater Dei Hospital documents seen by this newspaper showed that 42 out of the 82 intentional overdoses treated between January and May were the result of the premeditated misuse of psychiatric medication.

“The most common cause of self-harm is depression,” Mental Health Services chairman Anton Grech said when contacted.

“The medication being abused, such as benzodiazepine, is a clear indication that the victim or a relative is undergoing psychiatric treatment and has easy access to the drug, whose prescription is very controlled,” he added.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times of Malta, the e-paper or timesofmalta.com premium here.

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