title: A comparison of suicides in psychiatric in-patients, after discharge and in not recently hospitalized individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Time of in-patient treatment and the first weeks after hospital discharge have repeatedly been described as periods of increased suicide risk. This study compared demographic, clinical and suicide related factors between in-patient, post-discharge and not recently hospitalized suicides.
  
  
  METHODS
  Suicide data from the Tyrol Suicide Register were linked with registers of three psychiatric hospitals in the state of Tyrol, Austria. Suicide cases then were categorized as in-patient suicides, post-discharge suicides (suicide within 12weeks after discharge) or never/not within 12weeks before death hospitalized suicides. Data were collected between 2004 and 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the total of 711 cases, 30 were in-patient, 89 post-discharge and 592 not recently hospitalized suicides. The three groups differed with regard to male-to-female ratio (lower in both hospitalized groups), marital status, suicide method used (jumping in in-patients, hanging in not recently hospitalized suicides), history of attempted suicide and suicide threats (highest in in-patients) and whether suicides had been in psychiatric or general practitioner treatment shortly before death. In most variables with significant differences there was a gradual increase/decrease with post-discharge suicides taking the middle place between the two other groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The three suicide populations differed in a number of variables. Varying factors appear to influence suicide risk and choice of method differently in in-patient, post-discharge and not hospitalized suicides.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Social Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria. Electronic address: eberhard.deisenhammer@i-med.ac.at.
authors.forename: Eberhard A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Deisenhammer
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Social Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Center for Health Services Research in Medicine, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisa-Marie
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Behrndt
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Social Psychiatry, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kemmler
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy B, State Hospital Hall in Tirol, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haring
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, County Hospital Kufstein, Austria.
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001317:Austria; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge; D012306:Risk; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology