Repetition of Suicidal Behaviour (IN: The International Handbook of Suicide and Attempted Suicide, edited by K Hawton & K van Heeringen)

The risk of a fatal repetition of a suicide attempt is highest in the period immediately following the act. In prospective studies of suicide attempters, 1-3% will die by suicide within 1 year, up to 9% within 5 years, & in longer studies, up to 11%. About half the attempters seen for the first time by a clinician have at least 1 previous act of deliberate self-harm. Many demographic & psychosocial variables have been associated with the repetition of suicidal behaviour. Factors for repeated suicidal behaviour are reviewed including: maladaptive learning during personality development & dysfunctional serotonergic neurotransmission. (115 refs.)