Suicide Risk in Schizophrenia – a Follow-Up Study After 20 Years. Part 1: Outcome and Associated Social Factors

This study reevaluated, after a period of 20 years, a cohort of patients with schizophrenia who had been considered to be at high risk for suicide. Subjects were contacted & interviewed face-to-face using a questionnaire devised for this purpose & other rating scales were also administered. A psychological autopsy was performed for those individuals who had died by suicide. 14 of the original 33 patients were traced. 3 had died by suicide during the 20-year period. Among the living subjects, risks for suicide were found to be lower than those 20 years earlier. Male gender, poor social support, early age of illness onset, current admission to or recent discharge from hospital, & a higher level of education were all factors associated with increased suicide risk. (27 refs.)

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