Related Experiment Videos
Factors predicting suicide in psychotic patients
R Axelsson1, M Lagerkvist-Briggs
1Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, University of Lund, St. Lars Hospital, Sweden.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Patients with psychotic disorders have a significantly higher mortality rate, with suicide being over 20 times more common than in the general population. Previous suicidal behavior and recent hospitalization increased risk.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Mortality Studies
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Psychotic disorders are associated with increased mortality.
- Understanding specific causes of death, particularly suicide, is crucial for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mortality rates and causes of death in male inpatients with psychotic disorders.
- To compare clinical and neurobiological factors between patients who died by suicide and those who did not.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 250 male inpatients with psychotic disorders (DSM-III) was followed for a mean of 5.8 years.
- Causes of death were determined, and clinical characteristics of suicide completers were analyzed.
- Comparisons were made with non-suicide patients, considering suicidal behavior and demographic/clinical factors.
Main Results:
- Fifty patients died during the study period, with suicide confirmed in 11 and suspected in 7.
- Mortality rate was significantly elevated, with suicide rates over 20 times higher than in the general population.
- Annual suicide incidence varied by diagnosis: 2.5% (bipolar disorder), 1.3% (paranoid psychosis), 1.0% (major depression), 0.4% (schizophrenic disorder).
- Factors positively correlated with suicide included depressive mood, elated mood, paranoid ideas, and paternal age.
- All suicide completers had prior suicidal behavior and died during or shortly after hospitalization.
- No correlation was found with illness onset, duration, substance abuse, or neurobiological parameters.
Conclusions:
- Male inpatients with psychotic disorders face a substantially elevated risk of mortality, primarily due to suicide.
- Identifying individuals with a history of suicidal behavior and those recently hospitalized is critical for suicide prevention efforts.
- While certain clinical symptoms and demographic factors are associated with suicide, neurobiological markers did not show a correlation in this study.