Suicide Among Schizophrenic Patients: Occurrence and Risk Factors

Summary: Schizophrenic patients have a higher risk for suicide than the general population, with a particularly high risk in young male patients. Social isolation, unemployment, and depression are among the recognized suicide risk factors. The relative risk for suicide is highest at the time of first diagnosis. In young patients the risk is over 150- and 300-fold higher than the risk in the general population for male and female patients, respectively: After 5 years the relative risk has dropped to around 50- to 80-fold higher than the general population. The suicide risk in schizophrenic patients is influenced by hospitalization: The risk is reduced during hospitalization but rises more than two-fold at discharge. The provision of comprehensive outpatient support for schizophrenic patients on discharge may be beneficial in reducing suicide risk. In addition, general social support, continuity of care, and prevention of relapse may reduce the incidence of suicide and improve quality of life. Epidemiologic studies are required to evaluate intervention programs for prevention of suicide in schizophrenia.