Two separate studies link exposure to pesticides with psychological distress and suicide. The first study based in Costa Rica assessed banana workers previously exposed to organophosphates or carbamates both of which inhibit cholineslerase. The study was carried out on 78 workers who had received medical attention for exposure to either organophosphates (54) or carbamates (24) between one and three years prior to the study. Thirty-five of these had been poisoned on more than one occasion. These 78 people were compared to 130 company workers selected randomly who had not been poisoned. Symptoms of psychological distress were assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) to rank the severity of symptoms. This was followed by interview.
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