Patterns of suicide among hospitalized mentally disordered offenders

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 1984 Summer;14(2):113-25. doi: 10.1111/j.1943-278x.1984.tb00342.x.

Abstract

The case records of 29 mentally disordered offenders who committed suicide in a state hospital were reviewed. Information was collected on demographic and clinical characteristics; time, method and location of the suicides; and the presence of suicide indicators. Comparisons were made between the characteristics of the suicide patients and those of the current hospital population. Major findings were: 80 percent of the suicides were committed by psychotic patients and 66 percent were by patients with diagnoses which included paranoia; 48 percent of the suicide patients had been charged with or convicted of murder or attempted murder; most suicides occurred in individual patient rooms; nearly 50 percent of the patients had a history of suicide attempts; and other common indicators of suicide risk were often masked by psychotic symptomatology. Several recommendations for identifying and managing potentially suicidal patients in this population are presented.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • California
  • Commitment of Mentally Ill*
  • Crime
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / complications*
  • Prisoners / psychology*
  • Psychotropic Drugs / therapeutic use
  • Suicide / epidemiology
  • Suicide / psychology*
  • Suicide Prevention

Substances

  • Psychotropic Drugs