A Comparison of Suicide Note Writers With Suicides who did not Leave Notes

Using 10 years of cases from Summit County, Ohio, suicide victims who left notes were compared with those who did not leave notes. The 2 groups were compared on 40 variables including sociodemographic characteristics, reported affect before death, precipitating events, physical & mental health status & care, & method of suicide. The only differences found were that note writers were more likely to have lived alone & had made prior suicide threats. These findings suggest that for research purposes, suicide cases with & without notes are essentially similar. (14 refs.)