Suicide by cop: clinical risks and subtypes.
This study examines whether clinical classification schemes from general suicide research are applicable for cases of suicide by cop (SbC) and whether there are indicators as to why the police might be engaged in the suicide. Using archival law enforcement data, 13 clinical risks were examined among 68 cases of SbC using exploratory factor analysis and k-means cluster analysis. Three subtypes of SbC cases emerged: Mental Illness, Criminality, and Not Otherwise Specified. The subtypes varied significantly on their levels of mental illness, substance use, and criminal activity. Findings suggest that reducing fragmentation between law enforcement and mental health service providers might be a crucial goal for suicide intervention and prevention, at least among cases of SbC.
a Department of Psychology , John Jay College of Criminal Justice , New York , New York , USA.
Lauren
L
Dewey
Maureen
M
Allwood
Joanna
J
Fava
Elizabeth
E
Arias
Anthony
A
Pinizzotto
Louis
L
Schlesinger
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016495:Police; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult