Incidence and Course of Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts in the General Population

Little is known about predictors of onset & course of suicidality in the general population. This study tried to fill this gap by analyzing data from a prospectively followed community sample in The Netherlands. Data were derived from a 3-wave cohort study in a representative sample of 4,848 Dutch adults. The 3-year incidence of suicide ideation & suicide attempts was 2.7% & 0.9%, respectively. Predictors of first-onset were sociodemographic variables, life events, personal vulnerability indicators, & emotional disorders. One of the strongest predictors of incident suicide attempts was previous suicide ideation. Regarding the course of suicide ideation, it was found 31.3% still endorsed these thoughts & 7.4% reported having made a suicide attempt 2 years later. (41 refs.)