Suicide and Terminal Illness (IN: Treatment of Suicidal People, ed. by A. A. Leenaars et al)

Marzuk begins this chapter by discussing some methodological issues related to terminal illness & suicide. The epidemiology of suicide among the terminally ill is then reviewed. The next section of this chapter discusses the clinical assessment & management of suicide risk among terminally ill patients. Finally, the roles of serologic testing (which predicts the likelihood that an individual will contract the symptomatic form of a disease such as HIV) & prognosis are addressed. (46 refs.)