Suicide in Ethnic Minorities Within 12 Months of Contact with Mental Health Services

The objective of this article is to establish the number of patients from ethnic minorities who die by suicide in England and Wales. Data was collected from a 4-year sample survey of people who had been in contact with mental health services in the year before their death. The results show 282 patients from ethnic minorities died by suicide, which was 6% of all patient suicides. The author concludes that in order to reduce the number of suicides, services should address the complex health & social needs of people with severe mental illness. (26 refs.)(CH)