A Typology of Attempted Suicide (IN: Psychiatry: The State of the Art, Volume 1 Clinical Psychopathology Nomenclature and Classification, ed. by P Pichot et al)

Authors confirm results of an earlier 5 year follow-up study which shows that clinically meaningful subgroups with a very high and a very low risk can be identified. Whether scarce resources should be concentrated on the high risk groups must only, however, remain a question of debate. Not committing suicide does not convey anything about the quality of life of those who “carry on”. Believe this question has to be answered by another type of study which is especially designed for this purpose.