The Relationship of Physical Illness to Suicide (IN: Suicidal Behaviors, Diagnosis and Management, ed. by H L P Resnik)

This chapter reports a study carried out to determine the role of physical illness in attempted & completed suicides. All completed suicides occurring in King County, Washington, in a period of 1 year were studied with interviews of ralatives & friends, medical & psychiatric histories, & hospital & jail records. Among 80 cases of completed suicide, 70% had 1 or more active illnesses at the time & in 51% of the original sample illnesses were considered to have contributed to the suicide.(LN)