---
title: "Psych News Alert: Clozapine Found Most Likely of Common Antipsychotics to Reduce Risk of Suicide in Patients With Schizophrenia"
description: Compared with other common antipsychotics, clozapine appears most likely to decrease the risk of suicidal outcomes in patients with schiz...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_therapist_iStock-814596806-Jun-24-2025-07-30-56-6556-PM.jpg
---

 8/18/20 12:00 AM

# Clozapine Found Most Likely of Common Antipsychotics to Reduce Risk of Suicide in Patients With Schizophrenia

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/08/clozapine-found-most-likely-of-common.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/08/clozapine-found-most-likely-of-common.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/08/clozapine-found-most-likely-of-common.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/08/clozapine-found-most-likely-of-common.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/08/clozapine-found-most-likely-of-common.html)

| ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_therapist_iStock-814596806-Jun-24-2025-07-30-58-7821-PM.jpg?width=200&height=133&name=woman_therapist_iStock-814596806-Jun-24-2025-07-30-58-7821-PM.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

Compared with other common antipsychotics, clozapine appears most likely to decrease the risk of suicidal outcomes in patients with schizophrenia, according to a [report](https://academic.oup.com/schizophreniabulletin/advance-article/doi/10.1093/schbul/sbaa111/5892975#206647059) in *Schizophrenia Bulletin*.

The findings were based on two nationwide register-based cohort studies of 61,889 patients with schizophrenia who lived in Finland and 29,823 patients with schizophrenia who lived in Sweden. Heidi Taipale, Ph.D., of the University of Eastern Finland and colleagues specifically focused on patients who took the following first- or second-generation antipsychotics: clozapine, olanzapine, quetiapine, risperidone, risperidone (long-acting injectable), aripiprazole, perphenazine, zuclopenthixol (long-acting injectable), haloperidol, and levomepromazine. Each patient served as his or her control in the study, with the authors comparing suicide attempt/death during periods the patient was taking antipsychotics with periods the patient was not taking antipsychotics.

About 7% of the patients in the Finnish and Swedish cohorts attempted suicide or died by suicide during the study period.

“Compared with no use of antipsychotics, clozapine use was the only antipsychotic consistently associated with a decreased risk of suicidal outcomes in within-individual analyses,” the authors wrote. The risk for attempted or completed suicide was 36% lower when the patients in the Finnish cohort were taking clozapine and 34% lower when patients in the Swedish cohort were taking clozapine. “No other antipsychotic was associated with a reduced risk of attempted and/or completed suicide,” they wrote. In contrast, patients who took adjunctive benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-related Z-drugs were at an increased risk of attempted or completed suicide.

“Clozapine is the only pharmacological treatment associated with a substantially decreased risk of attempted or completed suicide [in patients with schizophrenia] and should be considered as first-line treatment for patients with suicidal ideation or behavior,” the authors concluded.

For related information, see the *Psychiatric News* article “[The Appropriate Use of Medications in Suicidal Patients](https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2019.pp10a2).”

(Image: iStock/FilippoBacci)

---

### Contribute to Strengthening APA’s Leadership *Nominate yourself or a colleague*

| ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/attention_please-Jun-24-2025-07-30-57-5405-PM.jpg?width=200&height=120&name=attention_please-Jun-24-2025-07-30-57-5405-PM.jpg) |  |
| --- | --- |

As chair of APA’s Nominating Committee, Immediate Past President Bruce Schwartz, M.D., is seeking to diversify the elected leadership of APA and invites all members to consider running for one of the open Board of Trustee offices in APA’s 2021 election: president-elect; secretary; early-career psychiatrist trustee-at-large; minority/underrepresented representative trustee; Area 1, 4, and 7 trustees; and resident-fellow member trustee-elect. You may nominate yourself or a colleague—the important point is that you get involved! The deadline is **Tuesday, September 1**.

[Access Nomination Requirements and Form](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/awards-leadership-opportunities/leadership-opportunities/elections)

[schizophrenia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/schizophrenia), [suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [clozapine](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/clozapine), [suicide attempt](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-attempt), [antipsychotics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/antipsychotics), [benzodiazepines](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/benzodiazepines)

## Related posts

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/suicide_prevention_iStock-1478628649_edited-Jun-24-2025-03-44-52-7100-PM.jpg?height=200&name=suicide_prevention_iStock-1478628649_edited-Jun-24-2025-03-44-52-7100-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/11/reaching-age-at-which-parent-died-by.html)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [self-harm](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/self-harm), [suicide risk](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-risk), [offspring](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/offspring), [Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviors](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-and-life-threatening-behaviors), [Population study](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/population-study), [Parental suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/parental-suicide)

## [Reaching Age at Which Parent Died by Suicide Increases Suicide Risk Among Offspring](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/11/reaching-age-at-which-parent-died-by.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/24/24 11:16 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2024/11/reaching-age-at-which-parent-died-by.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/AVvXsEg7NeRDBXsklfIdHANS1AetXBCFK_4fyAC5gZGm53QIwM0BsMsBvQ5e-ubwGkhS5dMCi92BAZDO-2neuEg0Jj4KT8XqHEZLF3mWQhhDY_UR7b3Czp3axr_q27G7lZglfbTmSHXsY-axw0Z6u-4.jpg?height=200&name=AVvXsEg7NeRDBXsklfIdHANS1AetXBCFK_4fyAC5gZGm53QIwM0BsMsBvQ5e-ubwGkhS5dMCi92BAZDO-2neuEg0Jj4KT8XqHEZLF3mWQhhDY_UR7b3Czp3axr_q27G7lZglfbTmSHXsY-axw0Z6u-4.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/02/initiation-of-prescription-opioids-may.html)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [pediatrics](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pediatrics), [suicide attempts](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-attempts), [prescription opioids](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/prescription-opioids), [suicidal behavior](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicidal-behavior)

## [Initiation of Prescription Opioids May Slightly Increase Risk of Suicide in Some Youth](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/02/initiation-of-prescription-opioids-may.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 2/8/22 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/02/initiation-of-prescription-opioids-may.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_154685816-Jun-24-2025-06-40-21-8522-PM.jpg?height=200&name=shutterstock_154685816-Jun-24-2025-06-40-21-8522-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/10/study-suggests-chronic-smoking-could.html)

[suicide](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide), [smoking](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smoking), [Psychiatric Services in Advance](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-services-in-advance)

## [Study Suggests Chronic Smoking Could Increase Suicide Risk in Males](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/10/study-suggests-chronic-smoking-could.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 10/7/14 12:00 AM

Chronic smoking may be an independent contributor to suicide in males. An analysis of data...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2014/10/study-suggests-chronic-smoking-could.html)

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert",
    "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T19:32:44.804Z",
  "datePublished" : "2020-08-18T04:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Clozapine Found Most Likely of Common Antipsychotics to Reduce Risk of Suicide in Patients With Schizophrenia",
  "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_therapist_iStock-814596806-Jun-24-2025-07-30-56-6556-PM.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/08/clozapine-found-most-likely-of-common.html",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg"
    }
  }
}
```