Year: 2001 Source: Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, v.104, no.6, (December 2001), p.443-451 SIEC No: 20030826

The authors examined the risk of suicide following contact with mental health services & determined whether that risk changed over time. Suicide risk was found to be significantly increased in users of mental health services, being highest in the first 7 days after discharge from in-patient care, & decreasing exponentially with time since discharge. The article highlights the importance of adequate follow-up of patients discharged from in-patient services, & the need for adequate resources for community-based services. (31 refs)