Temporal Pattern of Suicide Risk in Young Individuals With Early Psychosis

This study examined the temporal pattern of suicide risk in patients with early psychosis & determined whether discrete periods of significantly elevated risk can be identified up to 24 months after commencing treatment. Suicidaliy ratings collected each month were retrieved for 696 patients treated between December 2002-December 2005. Time-series analysis was performed on suicide risk estimated from the aggregated data of 94 individuals who met study inclusion criteria. Suicide risk was highest in the first month of treatment, decreasing rapidly over the next 6 months, & declining slightly thereafter. Fluctuations around the trend were unpredictable, except for a mild tendency to reverse from month to month. (32 refs.) JA