[Comparative studies on in-patients following suicide attempts]

In the course of the survey a total of 311 patients were examined, who had been admitted for treatment to the clinic for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology of the Vogtland-Klinikum Plauen GmbH, following suicide attempts in the years 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990 and 1995. Simultaneously, a survey of successful suicide attempts in the city of Plauen was carried out. The main point of interest was the motivation for the suicide attempts and the personal situation of the persons involved, most especially the influence of the social changes after 1990, towards their suicidal behaviour. As expected, the number of patients in full-time employment in 1995 was noticeably lower than in the preceding years, despite the fact that unemployment was not more often given as a reason for suicide attempts. In all the periods examined, conflicts within partnership structures played an outstanding role amongst the reasons for attempted suicides. An increase in attempted suicides due to endogenous depression was observed only in 1990.