title: Suicides in ethnic minorities within 12 months of contact with mental health services. National clinical survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Information on suicide by psychiatric patients from ethnic minority groups is scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish the number of patients from ethnic minorities who kill themselves; to describe their suicide methods, and their social and clinical characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  A national clinical survey was based on a 4-year sample of suicides in England and Wales. Detailed data were collected on those who had been in contact with mental health services in the year before death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total 282 patients from ethnic minorities died by suicide--6% of all patient suicides. The most common method of suicide was hanging; violent methods were more common than in White patient suicides. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis. Ethnic minority patients were more likely to have been unemployed than White patients and to have had a history of violence and recent non-compliance. In around half, this was the first episode of self-harm. Black Caribbean patients had the highest rates of schizophrenia (74%), unemployment, living alone, previous violence and drug misuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In order to reduce the number of suicides by ethnic minority patients, services should address the complex health and social needs of people with severe mental illness.
authors.affiliation: National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, Centre for Suicide Prevention, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Isabelle M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: Jo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bickley
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meehan
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Navneet
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kapur
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Appleby
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044383:Black People; D002423:Cause of Death; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology*; D014478:Unemployment; D014754:Violence; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology