Sevim Şenol KARATAŞ, Oğuz Kağan BULUT, Sait Fatih ÖNER
Türk Yoğun Bakım Dergisi - 2026;24(2):124-133
Aims: Intentional drug overdose is a leading cause of poisoning-related intensive care admissions and a major concern in clinical toxicology and public health. Identifying toxicological patterns, demographic features, and associated outcomes is essential to guide prevention and optimize early management. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of toxicological profiles, psychiatric history, and clinical outcomes among patients admitted to the intensive care unit after intentional drug overdose. Data collected included demographics, psychiatric comorbidities, ingested drug classes, length of stay in the intensive care unit, need for mechanical ventilation, and mortality. Patients were categorized as single- or multiple-drug ingestion, and groups were compared using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Among 229 patients (57.2% female; 59.1% aged 18-33 years), antidepressants (20.9%) and analgesics (17.3%) were the most frequent agents. Multiple-drug ingestion occurred in 65.9% and was associated with a longer intensive care unit stay (2.31 +/- 2.61 vs. 1.60 +/- 0.83 days; P = 0.0088). Mechanical ventilation was required in 3.1%, and mortality was 0.3%. Conclusion: Intentional overdose predominantly affects young adults and often involves multiple-drug ingestion (acute polypharmacy). Although critical outcomes were rare, polypharmacy correlated with prolonged intensive care unit stay, supporting prevention efforts and targeted psychiatric follow-up.
