Domestic abuse is important risk factor for suicide

A coroner’s inquest in England has concluded that the underlying cause of a 34 year old woman’s suicide was domestic abuse.1 She had previously attended an emergency department with cut wrists and expressed suicidal thoughts to police and other agencies, in the context of domestic abuse. The coroner recommended greater recognition of the link between domestic abuse and suicide among first responders and improved coordination between agencies to prevent future deaths.1 Although this is the first time that a coroner in the UK has cited domestic abuse as having a causal role in death by suicide, this case will be distressingly familiar to related services and researchers.