Awareness of Disorder and Suicide Risk in the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Results of the International Suicide Prevention Trial

This investigation assessed awareness & suicide-related behaviour in 980 patients with schizophrenia. Patients were followed over 2 years & assessed by blinded raters for suicide-related events. The results showed awareness of psychiatric condition at baseline was associated with increased risk of suicide events over the follow-up. Depression & hopelessness levels mediated this effect. By contrast, changes in awareness associated with treatment decreased the risk of suicide. (14 refs)