Completed suicide in schizophrenia: evidence from a case-control study

Suicide is the single major cause of death among patients with schizophrenia. Despite great efforts in the prevention of such deaths, suicide rates have remained alarming, pointing to the need for a better understanding of the phenomenon. The present sample comprised 20 male patients with schizophrenia who committed suicide and who were investigated retrospectively for a large number of characteristics. Controls were 20 living patients with schizophrenia. The results suggest that suicide attempts, hopelessness and self-devaluation were the three variables most strongly associated with completed suicide. However, a number of variables were identified which may constitute risk factors, some of which have not been identified in the past: agitation and motor restlessness (OR = 3.66; 95%CI = 0.95/14.02), self-devaluation (OR = 28.49; 95%CI = 3.15/257.40), hopelessness (OR = 51.00; 95%CI = 7.56-343.72), insomnia (OR = 12.66; 95%CI = 0.95/14.02), mental disintegration (OR = 3.66; 95%CI = 0.95/14.02), and suicide attempt (OR = 3.66; 95%CI = 1.40/114.41). Poor adherence to medications was also predictive of completed suicide in our sample of schizophrenia patients, primarily because the suicide victims showed very low adherence.