Suicide Within 12 Months of Contact With Mental Health Services: National Clinical Survey

This paper reports on a two-year study of people from England & Wales who had completed suicide, particularly those who had been in contact with mental health services in the 12 months before death. 10,040 suicides were notified to the study between April 1996-March 1998, of whom 2,370 had had contact with mental health services in the year before death. Data were obtained on 2,177 of these cases. 358 were psychiatric inpatients at the time of death, 21% of whom were under special observation. 519 suicides occurred within 3 months of hospital discharge, the highest number occurring within the first week after discharge. Implications of the study results are discussed. (19 refs.)