Two thirds of 4,200 overdoses intentional

More than 4,200 overdoses were treated in hospitals in 2011, two thirds of them intentional, according to official figures.

Legal medications, such as paracetamol, psychotropic drugs, tranquillisers and sedatives, along with alcohol and illegal drugs, accounted for the bulk of substances used in overdoses.

Unpublished data from the Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) scheme shows there were 4,254 overdose cases in 2011, with women accounting for 54% of incidents.