The recognition of diagnosable psychiatric disorders in suicide cases' last medical contacts

The objective of this study is to examine physicians' awareness of diagnosable psychiatric disorders in suicide cases' last medical contacts (MCs).

The contact rates and proportions of both psychiatric and somatic diagnoses in a national cohort of suicide subjects (N=3468) in Taiwan seeking psychiatric or nonpsychiatric medical services within 1 month and 1 year preceding death were examined.

The overall rates of MCs were 72.6% within 1 month and 89.2% within 1 year preceding suicide. While around 99.9% of the suicide subjects who contacted psychiatrists within 1 month preceding death were diagnosed as having psychiatric disorders, only 19.7% of those visiting nonpsychiatric physicians had psychiatric diagnoses. Suicide subjects, however, frequently complained of somatic symptoms, for example, gastrointestinal discomfort, headache/dizziness and back problem during their contacts with nonpsychiatric physicians within 1 month preceding death.

Despite the high rates of MCs preceding suicide, the majority of suicide subjects were not diagnosed. Emphasizing psychosomatic manifestations of psychiatric disorders in physician education programs may help enhance the awareness of psychiatric disorders/suicide risk in clinical settings.