The characteristics of suicides within a week of discharge after psychiatric hospitalisation - a nationwide register study.
BACKGROUND
The characteristics of victims of immediate post-discharge suicides are not well known. We explored these characteristics for the purposes of better recognition and preventive efforts of potential immediate post-discharge suicides.


METHODS
Suicides from a Finnish nationwide register were linked with preceding periods of psychiatric inpatient treatment. Characteristics of suicides within a week of discharge were compared to those occurring later after discharge.


RESULTS
Compared to other previously hospitalised suicide victims, those committing suicide within a week of discharge were more often female, unmarried, had a higher grade of education and a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum or affective disorder, tended to use more drowning and jumping from heights as the methods for suicide and had gained a smaller improvement in psychological functioning during hospitalization.


CONCLUSIONS
These characteristics indicate a more severe psychopathology, relatively poorer level of functioning, less global response to hospitalisation, and a more frequent choice of lethal and easily available method for suicide. Potentially suicidal psychiatric patients should be better recognized and an immediate follow-up arranged if it is decided they be discharged.
Pirkola
Sami
S
Mental Health Group, Health and Social Services Division, National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES), Lintulahdenkuja 4, FIN-00530, Helsinki Finland. Sami.Pirkola@stakes.fi
Sohlman
Britta
B
Wahlbeck
Kristian
K
D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention