Risk factors for suicide in psychiatric outpatients: A 20-year prospective study.

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

To determine the risk factors for suicide, 6,891 psychiatric outpatients were evaluated in a prospective study. Subsequent deaths for the sample were identified through the National Death Index. Forty-nine (1%) suicides were determined from death certificates obtained from state vital statistics offices. Specific psychological variables that could be modified by clinical intervention were measured using standardized scales. Univariate survival analyses revealed that the severity of depression, hopelessness, and suicide ideation were significant risk factors for eventual suicide. A multivariate survival analysis indicated that several modifiable variables were significant and unique risk factors for suicide, including suicide ideation, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and unemployment status.

Related collections

Most cited references 13

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Time-related predictors of suicide in major affective disorder.

Theodore R. Gibbons, Steven E. Clark, W Scheftner … (1990)

The authors studied 954 psychiatric patients with major affective disorders and found that nine clinical features were associated with suicide. Six of these--panic attacks, severe psychic anxiety, diminished concentration, global insomnia, moderate alcohol abuse, and severe loss of interest or pleasure (anhedonia)--were associated with suicide within 1 year, and three others--severe hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and history of previous suicide attempts--were associated with suicide occurring after 1 year. These findings draw attention to the importance of 1) standardized prospective data for studies of suicide, 2) assessment of short-term suicide risk factors, and 3) anxiety symptoms as modifiable suicide risk factors within a clinically relevant period.

0 comments Cited 149 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Relationship between hopelessness and ultimate suicide: a replication with psychiatric outpatients.

A. Beck, G. Brown, R J Berchick … (1990)

A prospective study of 1,958 outpatients found that hopelessness, as measured by the Beck Hopelessness Scale, was significantly related to eventual suicide. A scale cutoff score of 9 or above identified 16 (94.2%) of the 17 patients who eventually committed suicide, thus replicating a previous study with hospitalized patients. The high-risk group identified by this cutoff score was 11 times more likely to commit suicide than the rest of the outpatients. The Beck Hopelessness Scale thus may be used as a sensitive indicator of suicide potential.

0 comments Cited 137 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Relationships of age and axis I diagnoses in victims of completed suicide: a psychological autopsy study.

H. Herrmann, Paul Duberstein, T Forbes … (1996)

Psychiatric illness is a potent risk factor for suicide, rates of which differ markedly with age. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the psychiatric diagnoses of suicide victims vary predictably with age. DSM-III-R axis I diagnoses of 141 persons aged 21 to 92 years who had completed suicide were established by the psychological autopsy method. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether age, gender, or their interaction predicted the presence of specific disorders. One or more axis I conditions were diagnosable in 90.1% of the suicide victims. Substance use disorders were most frequent, followed by mood disorders and primary psychotic illness. Younger age at death was a significant predictor of substance abuse or dependence and primary psychoses, while older age predicted major mood disorders. Comorbidity of substance use and mood disorders was common. Among victims with substance abuse or dependence, older age at death predicted major depression; among victims with mood disorders, younger age at death predicted comorbid substance abuse or dependence. The distribution of psychiatric illnesses in suicide victims differs across the life course. Age-related patterns of addictive and psychotic disorders echo their prevalence in the general population. In contrast, the relationship between age and mood disorders among suicide victims is distinctly different from that of the general population. These findings suggest that risk for suicide increases with age in individuals with major affective illness. Depressed elderly men are particular targets for suicide prevention strategies.

0 comments Cited 113 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

All references

Author and article information

Journal

Title: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Abbreviated Title: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology

Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)

ISSN (Print): 0022-006X

Publication date Created: 2000

Publication date (Print): 2000

Volume: 68

Issue: 3

Pages: 371-377

Article

DOI: 10.1037//0022-006X.68.3.371

PubMed ID: 10883553

SO-VID: 676b0f7a-e577-41af-a2df-fc0998780d17

History

Data availability:

Comments

Comment on this article

Cited by 241

See all cited by

Most referenced authors 186

See all reference authors

- Version 1
- Version 1