Citation

Overholser JC, Braden A, Dieter L. J. Clin. Psychol. (Hoboken) 2012; 68(3): 349-361.

Affiliation

Case Western Reserve University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jclp.20859

PMID

22140004

Abstract

Background: The assessment of suicide risk is a complex task for mental health professionals. Certain demographic groups are associated with completed suicide including males, divorced adults, and Caucasians. However, demographic variables alone provide a crude assessment of suicide risk. Psychiatric diagnosis and recent life events might improve the identification of high-risk individuals. Method: The current study evaluated 148 individuals who died by suicide compared with 257 adults who died suddenly from accidents or medical problems. Psychological autopsy was used to assess Axis I psychiatric diagnosis and recent stressful life events. Results: Suicide completers were significantly more likely than comparison subjects to have a depressive disorder, a substance abuse disorder, and to have experienced interpersonal conflict in the months leading up to their death. A discriminant function analysis revealed that the combination of demographic variables, recent stressful life events, and psychiatric diagnoses best discriminated between suicide completers and comparison subjects. Conclusions: Proper assessment of suicide risk should include a comprehensive evaluation of demographic characteristics, recent life stressors, and psychiatric diagnosis. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 67:1-15, 2011.

Language: en