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Suicide and schizophrenia: data from a prospective community treatment study
L J Cohen1, M A Test, R L Brown
1Department of Psychiatry, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53706.
The American Journal of Psychiatry
|May 1, 1990
Summary
Young men with early schizophrenia onset who reported high distress and low life satisfaction at baseline were at increased risk for suicide. Self-reported distress at study entry predicted suicide, unlike later assessments.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Mental Health Research
- Suicidology
Background:
- Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness requiring long-term community treatment.
- Suicide is a significant risk among individuals with schizophrenia, particularly young adults.
- Understanding predictors of suicide in this population is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze prospectively gathered data on suicide occurrences in young adults during a schizophrenia treatment study.
- To identify risk factors and predictive measures for suicide in this specific demographic.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of prospectively collected data from a longitudinal study of schizophrenia treatment.
- Focus on eight young adult suicides within the study cohort.
- Comparison of baseline self-reported distress and life satisfaction between suicide completers and others.
Main Results:
- Young adult men with early-onset schizophrenia were identified as a high-risk subgroup.
- Subjects who later died by suicide reported significantly higher baseline distress and lower life satisfaction.
- Baseline self-reported subjective distress was a consistent predictor of suicide.
Conclusions:
- Early-onset schizophrenia in young men presents a heightened suicide risk.
- Subjective distress reported at baseline is a critical, early indicator for suicide risk assessment in schizophrenia.
- Interviewer-rated or postbaseline measures were not predictive, highlighting the importance of initial self-report.