Citation

King EA, Baldwin DS, Sinclair JM, Campbell MJ. Br. J. Psychiatry 2001; 178: 537-542.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.178.6.537

PMID

11388970

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric patients have an elevated risk of suicide while in hospital.
AIMS: To compare social, clinical and health-care delivery factors in in-patient and out-patient suicides and their controls.
METHOD: Retrospective case-control study of 59 in-patients and 106 controls, matched for age, gender, diagnosis and admission date. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional multiple logistic regression.
RESULTS: There were seven independent increased-risk factors: history of deliberate self-harm, admission under the Mental Health Act, involvement of the police in admission, depressive symptoms, violence towards property, going absent without leave and a significant care professional being on leave. When compared with out-patient suicides, in-patients were more often female and male in-patients had a psychotic illness. Unlike the out-patient suicides, social factors were not found to be significant.
CONCLUSIONS: The characteristics of in-patient and out-patient suicides differ. Identified risk factors have relatively low sensitivity and specificity.

Language: en

Keywords

Case-Control Studies; Cause of Death; England; Female; Hospital Mortality; Humans; Inpatients; Male; Mental Disorders; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Suicide