Specific Characteristics of Suicide Attempts in Patients With Schizophrenia in Turkey

300 Turkish patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were studied. The sample was divided into 2 groups on the presence or absence of lifetime suicide attempts. Subjects who had & had not attempted suicide did not differ with respect to demographic variables. The suicide attempters tended to be younger at the age of onset, had a longer duration of psychosis, more hospitalizations, were more likely to have had lifetime major depressive episodes, & had a significantly higher rate of alcohol abuse or dependence than patients without a lifetime history of suicide attempts. Results indicated demographic variables may be less valuable predictors of suicidal behaviour than are clinical variables. (34 refs.)