Changes in Institutional Psychiatric Care and Suicidal Behaviour: a Follow-Up Study of Inpatient Suicide Attempters in Baerum, Norway

This study investigated whether extensive change in institutional psychiatric care resulted in shortened psychiatric hospitals stays for suicide attempters. It also examined if length of hospital stay & time period in which patients received treatment were related to the risk of a repeat suicide attempt &/or dying by suicide. All cases of suicide attempters hospitalized in Baerum between 1984-2006 were examined. The period of observation was subdivided into 2 time intervals on the basis of deinstitutionalization which started to plateau in 1996. Patients admitted in 1996-2006 had significantly shorter hospital stays than patients in the preceding period, 1984-1995. Neither the time period of treatment variabale nor the length of hospital stay variable was significantly associated with the risk of a repeat suicide attempt or suicide. (29 refs.) JA