Suicides Among Psychiatric Patients in Funen (Denmark) (IN: Current Issues of Suicidology, ed. by H J Moller, A Schmidtke & R Welz)

This study analyzes 522 suicides from the county of Funen, Denmark from 1979-1982 with regard to psychiatric treatment. The authors found that many suicides occurred around hospital admission or in the first weeks after discharge for those with psychiatric disorders. Few were in closed wards, so most suicides took place when the patient was on leave. The authors also discuss treatment problems, such as too little therapeutic contact, overuse of drugs, & underuse of electroconvulsive therapy.(VM)