A Comparison Between “Samaritan Suicides” and Living Samaritan Clients

The purpose of this study was to identify which Samaritan clients are likely to commit suicide. 45 suicide victims were compared with a control group of 90 living Samaritan clients. The suicides were older, male, living alone, had disrupted marriages, had more histories of previous psychiatric treatment & attempted suicide & presented psychological as opposed to practical problems. The best discriminating measures were previous psychiatric treatment & contact with other agencies.(JS)