title: The feasibility of suicide rates as an evaluation criterion in community psychiatry: methodological problems.
abstract: Over the last 30-40 years the reform of psychiatric care in many countries has led to deinstitutionalization and treatment of many patients in community psychiatric services. There is an ongoing discussion on whether this process may lead to a higher suicide rate. There are only a few studies addressing this issue, and empirical data are scarce. Several methodological problems make it difficult to use suicide rates as an evaluation criterion for community psychiatry. These problems are briefly discussed.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin Abteilung für Sozialpsychiatrie, Freien Universität Berlin.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Flechtner
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Priebe
mesh_terms: D001604:Berlin / Q000453:epidemiology; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000639:trends*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003688:Deinstitutionalization / Q000639:trends*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000639:trends*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome