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Psychosis and Functioning as Risk Factors for Later Suicidal Activity among Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Patients: A Disease‐Based Interactive Model
Author(s) -
Kaplan Kalman J.,
Harrow Martin
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
suicide and life‐threatening behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.544
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1943-278X
pISSN - 0363-0234
DOI - 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1999.tb00759.x
Subject(s) - psychosis , schizoaffective disorder , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , suicidal ideation , disease , poison control , suicide prevention , medicine , medical emergency
The present research explores the relationship of positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and posthospital functioning to subsequent suicidal behavior over a 7 1/2‐year period, and examines whether these patterns vary with diagnosis. The results support a multifactor model of suicide risk. Both psychosis and poor functioning show some relationship to later suicidal activity for both schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. Psychosis may remain a risk factor for suicidal activity for schizoaffective patients, even when functioning is partialed out. This is in contrast to the schizophrenia patients, for whom functioning seems to mediate the effects of psychosis on later suicidality. In general, adequacy of overall posthospital functioning mediates the effects of some risk factors on suicidal activity within different diagnostic groups.