TY - JOUR PY - 2005// TI - Suicide risk after spousal suicide or psychiatric admission: effects of assortative mating on heritable traits compared with environmental explanations JO - Journal of epidemiology and community health A1 - Voracek, Martin SP - 347 EP - 348 VL - 59 IS - 5 N2 - Agerbo reports a nested case-control study of all (n = 9011) Danish midlife suicides (25-60 years of age) 1982-97.   He investigated sex specific midlife suicide risks associated with spousal psychiatric admission, spouse or child bereavement by suicide or other causes of death, and several sociodemographic factors. There is a wealth of original findings from this impressive population based register study. Particularly, increased suicide risks were seen after spousal psychiatric admission or spousal or child death, especially after spousal suicide. Several points of criticism regarding certain study premises and the interpretation of study findings are discussed here. In what follows, I will focus on five points: firstly, the age range restriction; secondly, the psychiatric admission criterion; thirdly, the environmental interpretations of certain findings; fourthly, the implications of assortative mating; and fifthly, the evidence for sex specific suicide risks. LA - SN - 0143-005X UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.027805 ID - ref1 ER -