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In‐patient suicide in psychiatric hospitals
Author(s) -
Deisenhammer E. A.,
DeCol C.,
Honeder M.,
Hinterhuber H.,
Fleischhacker W. W.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-0447.2000.102004290.x
Subject(s) - psychiatry , medicine , suicide methods , suicide prevention , psychiatric hospital , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , seclusion , poison control , medical emergency , suicide rates
Objective: In‐patient suicides continue to be a matter of concern in hospital psychiatry. In‐patients at risk for suicide need to be identified. Method: In‐patient suicides in two psychiatric hospitals were assessed over a time‐span of 8 years. Cases were detected by comparing police suicide data with the hospitals' admission and discharge records. Further information was then gathered from patients' records. Results: During the period under investigation 44 in‐patients committed suicide, the majority of them being diagnosed with affective disorders (45.4%) or schizophrenia (27.3%). The most commonly used method was ‘jumping in front of a vehicle’ (34.1%); 79.5% were treated in an open ward at the time of their suicide, 15.9% in a locked unit. The majority of open ward suicides happened outside the hospital; 39.4% of patients had left the ward without giving notice. Conclusion: Additional cautionary measures are warranted especially for patients in open wards.