Suicide among psychiatric hospital in-patients.
We examined for risk factors for suicide among psychiatric in-patients by comparing 37 in-patients from an Ontario Provincial Psychiatric Hospital who had committed suicide with 37 age and sex matched in-patient controls. Significantly more of the suicide victims had made a previous suicide attempt (62.2 v. 35.1%), suffered from schizophrenia (75.7 v. 35.1%), were involuntary at their last admission (70.3 v. 43.2%) and lived alone (70.3 v. 43.2%). Only six patients committed suicide on the ward. Almost a third of the patients, the majority schizophrenic, committed suicide after having been in the hospital for more than a year. These results suggest that in the psychiatric hospital setting the in-patient at risk for suicide has previously exhibited suicidal behaviour, suffers from schizophrenia, was admitted involuntarily, lives alone and that the risk of suicide may remain high among long-stay schizophrenics.
Roy
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A
Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, USA.
Draper
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R
D002423:Cause of Death; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000401:mortality; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*