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

The social, psychiatric, & neurobiological factors that may contribute to the link between suicide & violence are discussed. It is proposed that suicide & violence do not have an inverse relationship but are instead overlapping endpoints on a continuum of aggressive behaviour. Different clinical phenomena that provide evidence for such a link are explored. The epidemiology, phenomenology, aetiology, clinical management, & prevention of phenomena such as suicidal psychiatric patients, jail & prison suicide, murder-suicide & suicide pacts are discussed. (117 refs.)