@article{ref1,
title="Psychosocial and psychiatric characteristics of suicide completers with psychiatric treatment before death: A psychological autopsy study of 76 cases",
journal="Psychiatry and the Clinical Neurosciences",
year="2012",
author="Hirokawa, Seiko and Matsumoto, Toshihiko and Katsumata, Yotaro and Kitani, Masahiko and Akazawa, Masato and Takahashi, Yoshitomo and Kawakami, Norito and Watanabe, Norimichi and Hirayama, Masami and Kameyama, Akiko and Takeshima, Tadashi",
volume="66",
number="4",
pages="292-302",
abstract="Aim:  The present study was conducted to examine differences in psychosocial and psychiatric characteristics between suicide completers with and without a history of psychiatric treatment within the year before death, using a psychological autopsy method. Methods:  A semi-structured interview was administered by a psychiatrist and other mental health professionals for the closest bereaved of 76 suicide completers. Results:  Suicide completers with a history of psychiatric treatment (n = 38) were significantly younger than those without (n = 38) (P < 0.01), and a significantly higher proportion of cases in the treatment group were estimated to be suffering from schizophrenia. Further, in 57.9% of the treatment group, the fatal suicidal behavior involved overdose with prescribed psychotropic drugs. In addition, female suicide completers in the treatment group were more likely to have a history of self-harm or non-fatal suicidal behavior. Conclusion:  Many suicide completers who received psychiatric treatment were young adults. It was common for suicide completers to overdose on prescribed drugs as a supplementary means of suicide, and many experienced self-harming behavior before death. In addition, a higher proportion of the treatment cases suffered from schizophrenia.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1323-1316",
doi="10.1111/j.1440-1819.2012.02343.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2012.02343.x"
}