title: Police contact within 3 months of suicide and associated health service contact.
abstract: We evaluated police contact with individuals prior to suicide, using a systematic study of suicides within County Durham and Darlington over a 3-year period and analysis of police computer records covering the same area. A total of 205 cases of suicide were identified. A fifth of these (n=41) had a documented contact with police within 3 months prior to the suicide, there was an equal mixture of victims and alleged perpetrators of crime, and a significant number of those with police contact had also seen a health professional recently. As many people see a police officer in the 3 months prior to their suicide as see a mental health professional within 12 months prior to suicide. Our findings have implications for suicide prevention.
authors.affiliation: Tees Esk and Wear Val Valleys NHS Trust, National Institute for Mental Health in England, County Hospital, North Road, Durham DH1 4ST, 4ST, UK. keith.linsley@cddps.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Keith R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Linsley
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004630:Emergencies / Q000453:epidemiology; D004739:England; D005194:Family Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016495:Police / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*