title: Risk factors for suicide in psychiatric outpatients: a 20-year prospective study.
abstract: To determine the risk factors for suicide, 6,891 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated in a prospective study. Subsequent deaths for the sample were identified through the National Death Index. Forty-nine (1%) suicides were determined from death certificates obtained from state vital statistics offices. Specific psychological variables that could be modified by clinical intervention were measured using standardized scales. Univariate survival analyses revealed that the severity of depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation were significant risk factors for eventual suicide. A multivariate survival analysis indicated that several modifiable variables were significant and unique risk factors for suicide, including suicide ideation, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and unemployment status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-2648, USA. browng@landru.cpr.upenn.edu
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Steer
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Grisham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D002423:Cause of Death; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014478:Unemployment