TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2008//
TI  - A pilot study of the suicide victim's last contact with a health professional
JO  - Crisis
A1  - Draper, Brian
A1  - Snowdon, John
A1  - Wyder, Marianne
SP  - 96
EP  - 101
VL  - 29
IS  - 2
N2  - Suicide victims frequently have contact with health care professionals in the months before death. The primary aims of this pilot psychological autopsy study were to determine the feasibility of undertaking a full study and to describe the characteristics of the last health care professional contacts with suicide victims aged &gt;34 years. We interviewed the informants of 52 suicides. Interviews were obtained from 37 health care professionals who had contact with 28 of the suicides during the 3 months before death. The primary reasons for the last contact with the health care professional were mental health (62%), physical health (22%), and social (14%). 87% of health care professional contacts occurred within 1 month of death. Symptoms of depression were noted in 49% of health care professional contacts. Consensus psychological autopsy diagnoses of depression were made in 64% of suicide victims. Overall suicide risk was assessed by 38% of health care professionals during their last contact. This was more likely to occur when the deceased presented as depressed, was aged &lt;60 years or seen by a psychiatrist. None was assessed to be suicidal. The family informants regarded nine of the suicide victims to have been suicidal before death but informed a health care professional in only one third of the cases. Critical information that might have altered the management is not often accessed from family members.     <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0227-5910
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -