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Published on: November 21, 2013
Suicide attempts in schizophrenic patients: clinical variables
M C Mauri1, S Paletta, M Maffini
1Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Milan, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy.
Asian Journal of Psychiatry
|September 10, 2013
Summary
Schizophrenia patients with a history of suicide attempts often experienced prolonged untreated psychosis and had a family history of psychiatric issues. Early intervention and atypical antipsychotics may reduce suicide risk.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Research
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Schizophrenia presents a substantial suicide risk, with 40-50% of patients experiencing suicidal ideation and 4-13% dying by suicide.
- Understanding risk factors is crucial for predicting and preventing suicide in individuals with psychotic disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associations between suicide attempts (SAs) and demographic/clinical variables in 106 schizophrenia patients.
- To identify predictors of suicidal behavior in a schizophrenia cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study analyzing 106 patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for schizophrenia.
- Patients were categorized based on the presence or absence of lifetime suicide attempts.
- Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between groups.
Main Results:
- A history of SAs was linked to a duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) of ≥1 year.
- Significant associations found with depressive symptoms, prior hospitalizations, family psychiatric history, and family history of suicidal behaviors.
- Patients with SAs were more frequently prescribed typical antipsychotic agents.
Conclusions:
- The severity of psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia is a significant indicator of suicide risk.
- Further prospective research with larger samples is needed.
- Investigating the impact of early interventions and atypical antipsychotic treatments on suicide risk reduction is recommended.
Keywords:
CDSSCalgary Depression Scale for SchizophreniaDSM-IV-TRDUPDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text RevisionPharmacological treatmentRisk factorsSASAsSCID-ISDSchizophreniaStructured Clinical Interview for Axis I DisordersSuicide attemptsduration of untreated psychosisstandard deviationsuicide attemptsuicide attempts
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