Citation

Symonds CS, Taylor S, Tippins V, Turkington D. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 2006; 36(1): 44-49.

Affiliation

of the Liaison Psychiatry Team of the Mental Health Unit at Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16676624

Abstract

Patients with schizophrenia have a substantial lifetime suicide risk, especially by violent means. Little published work exists on self-harm (SH) in this population. The goal of this study was to examine whether patients with schizophrenia were also more likely to self-harm in a violent manner. A retrospective analysis performed on method, motive, and suicidal intent in patients with schizophrenia (n = 50) and adjustment reaction (n = 138) who presented with SH over a 3-year period found that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of violence of method or suicidal intent. Presence of positive symptoms of schizophrenia was not significantly associated with use of a violent method. This study suggests that the expected pattern of violent SH in schizophrenia is inaccurate and for the majority the acts are of a similar nature to those seen in adjustment reactions.

Language: en