title: A pilot study of the suicide victim's last contact with a health professional.
abstract: Suicide victims frequently have contact with health care professionals in the months before death. The primary aims of this pilot psychological autopsy study were to determine the feasibility of undertaking a full study and to describe the characteristics of the last health care professional contacts with suicide victims aged > 34 years. We interviewed the informants of 52 suicides. Interviews were obtained from 37 health care professionals who had contact with 28 of the suicides during the 3 months before death. The primary reasons for the last contact with the health care professional were mental health (62%), physical health (22%), and social (14%). 87% of health care professional contacts occurred within 1 month of death. Symptoms of depression were noted in 49% of health care professional contacts. Consensus psychological autopsy diagnoses of depression were made in 64% of suicide victims. Overall suicide risk was assessed by 38% of health care professionals during their last contact. This was more likely to occur when the deceased presented as depressed, was aged < 60 years or seen by a psychiatrist. None was assessed to be suicidal. The family informants regarded nine of the suicide victims to have been suicidal before death but informed a health care professional in only one third of the cases. Critical information that might have altered the management is not often accessed from family members.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry & School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of NSW, Sydney, Australia. b.draper@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Draper
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Snowdon
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*