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Published on: November 21, 2013
[Suicide in the psychiatric clinic: weekend leave as risk factor. A qualitative analysis]
U Hoffmann-Richter1, C Oesterreich, A Finzen
1Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Basel.
Objective:
The study focuses on biographic and social aspects including illness behaviour of psychiatric in-patients who committed suicide in weekend leave.
Method:
The authors undertake a retrospective qualitative analysis of 14 cases of inpatient suicide.
Results:
11 of 14 patients had been confronted during their weekend leaves with a milieu full of emotional conflicts with their spouses, parents or children. These conflicts had been of considerable subjective significance for the patients, who often experienced feelings of guilt and failure in their relations.
Conclusion:
Weekend leave of psychiatric inpatients is to be considered as a risk factor for suicide, a risk that must be taken into account before sending a patient home for the weekend.
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