Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T04:09:09.642Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Suicide on the Isle of Wight: A Case-study of 35 Suicides among Mental Health Service Users Between 2006 and 2008

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Homayun Shahpesandy  and
Ad van Heeswijk
Homayun Shahpesandy*
Affiliation:
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, Roseberry Park, Middlesbrough TS4 3AF
Ad van Heeswijk
Affiliation:
Acute & Recovery Community Mental Health Service, Chantry House, 29-31 Pyle Street, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1JW, United Kingdom
*
*Correspondence E-mail shahpesandy@hotmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Aims: To identify the sociodemographic, clinical and service delivery risk factors for suicide in psychiatric patients in a limited geographic area.

Method: A retrospective case study of 35 patients who died as a result of suicide between January 2006 and December 2008.

Results: Male gender, unemployment, living alone, basic education and significant life events were identified as sociodemographic factors. A history of previous psychiatric admission, previous suicide attempt, suffering from depression, co-morbidity of another psychiatric disorder (mainly stress-related symptoms and alcoholism), and contacting the services prior to suicide were found as typical clinical factors. Hanging was the most common method of suicide in both men and women. Most men died in spring and summer, while the majority of females died in autumn.

Clinical implications: As in similar studies, mental disorders could be identified as the strongest risk factor for suicide. Almost 70% of suicides were conducted by people suffering from a mental disorder. Treating mental disorders and identifying certain sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of people suffering from mental disorders and addressing them is the key in suicide prevention strategies.

Keywords

suicideservice usersrisk factorsmental disorderssociodemographics
Type
Original Paper
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , 2012 , pp. 80 - 84
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baldwin, and Hirschfield, . Depression. Fast Facts, second edition. Health Press 2005.Google ScholarPubMed
Beglund, M and Ojehagen, A.The influence of alcohol drinking and alcohol-use disorders on psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviour. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 1998; 22: 333S–345S.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertolete, JM, Fleischmann, A. Suicidal behaviour prevention: WHO perspectives on research. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet 2005; 133:8–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bessant, M, King, EA and Peveler, R. Characteristics of suicides in recent contact with NHS Direct. Psychiatric Bulletin 2008; 32: 92–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boardman, AP, Grimbaldeston, AH, Handley, C, Jones, PW, Willmott, S. The North Staffordshire Suicide Study: a case-control study of suicide in one health district. Psychol Med; 1999; 29(1): 27–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooks, P and Watson, J. A profile of suicide mortality in South East. South East England Public Health Observatory 2006.Google Scholar
Burgess, P, Pirkis, J, Morton, J, Croke, E. Lessons from a comprehensive clinical audit of users of psychiatric services who committed suicide. Psychiatr Serv. 2000; 51(12): 1555–60.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coryell, W, Young, EA. Clinical predictors of suicide in primary major depressive disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 2005; 66: 412–416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crawford, MJ, Nur, U, McKenzie, K, Tyrer, P. Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among ethnic minority groups in England: results of a national household survey. Psychol Med 2005; 35: 369–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Department of Health. Compendium of Clinical and Health Indicators 2002. 06 2003.Google Scholar
Department of Health. National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. London: Department of Health, 2002.Google Scholar
Department of Health. Safety First: Five-year Report of the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness. London: Department of Health 2001.Google Scholar
Fergusson, D.M, Beautrais, A and Harwood, L.J.Vulnerability and resiliency to suicidal behaviours in young people. Psychological Medicine 2003; 33: 61–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gunnell, D, and Lewis, G. Studying suicide from the life course perspective: implications for prevention. Br J Psychiatry 2005; 187: 206–208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henriksson, MMAro, HMMarttunen, MJHeikkinen, MEIsometsa, ETKuoppasalmi, KI and Lonnqvist, JK. Mental disorders and comorbidity in suicide. Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150:935–940.Google ScholarPubMed
Hor, K and Taylor, M. Suicide and schizophrenia: a systematic review of rates and risk factors. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2010; 24 (11) Supplement 4: 81–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Joe, S, Marcus, SC, Kaplan, MS. Racial differences in the characteristics of firearm suicide decedents in the United States. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2007; 77: 124–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, H, Brock, A, Griffiths, C. et al.Mortality from suicide and drug-related poisoning by day of the week in England and Wales, 1993-2002. Health Statistics Quarterly 2005; 27: 13–16.Google Scholar
Keown, P, Tacchi, MJ, Niemiec, S, and Hughes, J. Changes to mental healthcare for working age adults: impact of a crisis team and an assertive outreach team. Psychiatric Bulletin 2007; 31: 288–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, EA, Baldwin, DS, Sinclair, JM, Baker, NG, Campbell, MJ, Thompson, C. The Wessex recent in-patient suicide study, 1. Case-control study of 234 recently discharged psychiatric patient suicides. Br J Psychiatry 2001a; 178:537–42.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
King, EA, Baldwin, DS, Sinclair, JM, Campbell, MJ. The Wessex recent in-patient suicide study, 2. Case-control study of 59 inpatient suicides. Br J Psychiatry 2001b; 178:531–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, EA. The Wessex Suicide Audit 1988-1993: A study of 1457 suicides with and without a recent psychiatric contact. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice 2001; Vol. 5; 2: 111–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lönnqvist, J.K.Psychiatric aspects of suicidal behaviour: depression. In The International Handbook of Suicide and Attempted Suicide (eds Hawton, K. & Van Heeringen, K.), 2000; 107–120. Chichester: John Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luoma, J, Martin, C and Pearson, J. Contact with mental health and primary care providers before suicide: a review of the evidence. American Journal of Psychiatry 2002; 159: 909–916CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morgan, HG, Priest, P. Suicide and other unexpected deaths among psychiatric in- patients. The Bristol confidential inquiry. Br J Psychiatry 1991; 158:368–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Office for National Statistics 2005. UK Suicides Reach 30 Year Low in 2003. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/suicide0305.pdf.Google Scholar
Office for National Statistics 2007. http://www.statistics.gov.uk.Google Scholar
Page, LA, Hajat, S and Kovats, SR. Relationship between daily suicide counts and temperature in England and Wales. Br J Psychiatry 2007; 191: 106–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Petridou, E, Papadopoulos, F, Frangakis, C, et al.A role of sunshine in the triggering of suicide. Epidemiology 2002; 13: 106–109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Qin, P, Agerbo, E, Mortensen, PB. Suicide risk in relation to socio-economic, demographic, psychiatric, and familial factors: a national register-based study of all suicides in Denmark, 1981-1997. Am J Psychiatry 2003; 160:765–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutz, W, von Knorring, L, Walinder, J. Frequency of suicide on Gotland after systematic postgraduate education of general practitioners. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1989; 80: 151–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sareen, J, Houlahan, T, Cox, BJ and Asmundson, GJ. Anxiety disorders associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in the national co morbidity survey. J Nerv Ment Dis 2005; 193: 450–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Secretary of State for Health. Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation. London: Stationery Office 1999.Google Scholar
Simkin, S, Hawton, K, Yip, PS, et al.Seasonality in suicide: a study of farming suicides in England and Wales. Crisis 2003; 24: 93–97.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization. The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders. Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1992.Google Scholar
Yip, P, Chao, , Chiu, C. Seasonal variation in suicides: diminished or vanished. Experience from England and Wales, 1982-1996. Br J Psychiatry 2000; 177: 366–369.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yip, PSF, Callanan, C, and Yuen, HP. Urban/rural and gender differentials in suicide rates: East and West. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2000, 57: 99–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed