title: Determinants of completed railway suicides by psychiatric in-patients: case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide prediction during psychiatric in-patient treatment remains an unresolved challenge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify determinants of railway suicides in individuals receiving in-patient psychiatric treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population was drawn from patients admitted to six psychiatric hospitals in Germany during a 10-year period (1997-2006). Data from 101 railway suicide cases were compared with a control group of 101 discharged patients matched for age, gender and diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Predictors of suicide were change of therapist (OR = 22.86, P = 0.004), suicidal ideation (OR = 7.92, P<0.001), negative or unchanged therapeutic course (OR = 7.73, P<0.001), need of polypharmaceutical treatment (OR = 2.81, P = 0.04) and unemployment (OR = 2.72, P = 0.04). Neither restlessness nor impulsivity predicted in-patient suicide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Suicidal ideation, unfavourable clinical course and the use of multiple psychotropic substances (reflecting the severity of illness) were strong determinants of railway suicides. The most salient finding was the vital impact of a change of therapist. These findings deserve integration into the clinical management of patients with serious mental disease.
authors.affiliation: Karoline Lukaschek, PhD, Jens Baumert, PhD, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg; Marion Krawitz, MD, Natalia Erazo, PhD, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hans Förstl, MD, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich; Karl-Heinz Ladwig, PhD, MD habil, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, and Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Karoline
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lukaschek
authors.affiliation: Karoline Lukaschek, PhD, Jens Baumert, PhD, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg; Marion Krawitz, MD, Natalia Erazo, PhD, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hans Förstl, MD, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich; Karl-Heinz Ladwig, PhD, MD habil, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, and Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.affiliation: Karoline Lukaschek, PhD, Jens Baumert, PhD, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg; Marion Krawitz, MD, Natalia Erazo, PhD, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hans Förstl, MD, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich; Karl-Heinz Ladwig, PhD, MD habil, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, and Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krawitz
authors.affiliation: Karoline Lukaschek, PhD, Jens Baumert, PhD, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg; Marion Krawitz, MD, Natalia Erazo, PhD, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hans Förstl, MD, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich; Karl-Heinz Ladwig, PhD, MD habil, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, and Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Erazo
authors.affiliation: Karoline Lukaschek, PhD, Jens Baumert, PhD, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg; Marion Krawitz, MD, Natalia Erazo, PhD, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hans Förstl, MD, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich; Karl-Heinz Ladwig, PhD, MD habil, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, and Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Förstl
authors.affiliation: Karoline Lukaschek, PhD, Jens Baumert, PhD, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg; Marion Krawitz, MD, Natalia Erazo, PhD, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hans Förstl, MD, Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich; Karl-Heinz Ladwig, PhD, MD habil, Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, and Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Ladwig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012307:Risk Factors; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*