Parasuicide in people with schizophrenia

This paper reviews patterns of suicidal behaviour in a group of 100 people with schizophrenia. All of the people in this review have a DSM 111-R diagnosis of schizophrenia and have had contact with a clinical research unit. Fifty-four per cent of the subjects have attempted suicide. The mean number of past attempts was 2.2, with a range between 0 and 15. Within the 5 year period of the review three people have suicided. These 100 people were chosen because self-reported demographic data were available on them. The group of people who attempted suicide tended to be young, unmarried, and had higher than average rates of admission to hospital.