Can Suicides be Identified From Case Records? A Case Control Study Using Blind Rating

The present study examined the possibility that skilled clinicians could identify suicides blind from case records of last episode of care. Records of 39 suicides of psychiatric patients & their matched controls were abstracted blind & dichotomously rated for suicide by 7 raters. Success in identification of cases approximated to chance expectation. The implications of these findings for clinical & medico-legal practice are discussed. (13 refs)