Suicidal Thoughts in Cancer Patients: Clinical Experience in Psycho-Oncology

This study investigated the characteristics of Japanese patients referred to the psychiatric division of a hospital due to risk of suicide or suicide attempts. 14 patients were referred, representing 3.9% of all consultations. The most frequent psychiatric diagnosis was mood disorder & the next was delirium. In the 8 patients with mood disorders, suicidal thoughts disappeared after psychiatric treatment in 5 cases, but not in the other 3. These 3 patients survived a significantly shorter time than the others after psychiatric consultation. (26 refs.)