[Psychiatric treatment and suicide. Can psychiatric treatment prevent patient suicide?]

Suicidality is a frequent accompanying symptom in mental diseases. The prevention of suicide is considered as a task which must be a matter of course to a psychiatric hospital. However, it is an established fact that suicides by patients occur in all psychiatric institutions. In this manner, suicide by a patient is liable to be interpreted as a question of guilt to prove that the therapist has failed in his task. On the other hand, it is naturally impossible to advocate the prevention of suicide at any price. The psychiatric hospital is bound to respect the patients' dignity. At the same time, the question arises whether suicidality among psychiatric patients is merely an expression of a diseased state of mind or also an understandable reaction to the social problem arising out of the disease. It is imperative that the therapists face the suicidality of their patients fairly and squarely and that they should place less emphasis on restrictions suppressing the patient than on an active and positive influence exercised by therapy, so that suicide by a patient can be avoided not only in the hospital but also after the patient's discharge.