Suicide and Natural Death in a State Hospital Population: a Comparison of Admission Complaints, MMPI Profiles, and Social Competence Factors

Completed suicides in a state hospital were contrasted with natural deaths & inpatients. No significant differences were found on patterns of admission complaints; depression was found to be the most frequent admission complaint. Neither MMPI profiles nor a recently developed suicide threat scale served to discriminate suicides from comparison groups. Highly significant differences were found on social competence variables, with suicides tending to be younger, more intelligent, & better educated