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Do cancer suicides differ from others?
Author(s) -
Hietanen Päivi,
Lönnqvist Jouko,
Henriksson Markus,
Jallinoja Piia
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.2960030305
Subject(s) - cancer , depression (economics) , medicine , psychiatry , population , terminal cancer , suicide prevention , poison control , medical emergency , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Based on a nationwide psychological autopsy study comprising all suicides committed in Finland during one year ( n = 1397), victims who had suffered from cancer ( n = 60) were compared with other suicides. Cancer suicides were significantly older and more often male, which required adjusting the control group ( n = 60) for age and sex. The cancer suicides had more pain and were more often physically disabled. The social network of cancer patients was stronger: 93% of them and 65% of the control cases had a significant other. Family histories of mental disorder were more common in the control group. Cancer was the main underlying factor in the suicide process in 62% of the cancer patients and a contributing factor in 23%. Background factors of the suicide process of the cancer patients with terminal illness ( n = 18) were different from those with cancer in remission and from victims among the general population. The frequency of physical symptoms and of depression before suicide in cancer patients emphasizes the need for more competent palliative care and psychological support for cancer patients.