Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T17:27:57.299Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Suicidal Ideation, Self-Harm And Attempted Suicide: Results From The British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2000

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

P.E. Bebbington ,
S. Minot ,
C. Cooper ,
M. Dennis ,
H. Meltzer ,
R. Jenkins  and
T. Brugha
P.E. Bebbington*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences UCL, 67-73, Riding House Street, 2nd Floor, Charles Bell House, LondonW1W 7EJ, UK
S. Minot
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences UCL, 67-73, Riding House Street, 2nd Floor, Charles Bell House, LondonW1W 7EJ, UK
C. Cooper
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences UCL, 67-73, Riding House Street, 2nd Floor, Charles Bell House, LondonW1W 7EJ, UK
M. Dennis
Affiliation:
School of Medicine, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales, UK
H. Meltzer
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK
R. Jenkins
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, London, UK
T. Brugha
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital, Leicester, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 0 20 7679 9465; fax: +44 0 20 7679 9426. E-mail address: P.Bebbington@ucl.ac.uk (P.E. Bebbington).
Get access

Abstract

Purpose

To examine relationships between suicidal ideation, self-harm, and suicide attempts, including the timing of the phenomena.

Subjects and methods

The British National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (NPMS) 2000, a randomised cross-sectional survey of the British population (n = 8,580), included detailed questions about suicidal phenomena.

Results

Suicidal phenomena were common in the survey population: a fifth had experienced tedium vitae, and nearly one in six had had death wishes or considered suicide. 4.4% of the study population had attempted suicide at some time. The relationships between individual elements of suicidality, though not absolute, were strong. The relationships tended to be hierarchical. The results suggested that suicidal thinking represents a strong indicator of vulnerability to suicidal acts, less so to self-harm. Although suicidal phenomena were more common in women, the relationship of the different elements were not affected by gender.

Discussion

Studies in non clinical populations allow full appreciation of the nature and burden of suicidality. The topic of suicide is sensitive, so there may have been under-reporting, although the level of missing data was around 0.1%. Nevertheless, the sample was large and closely representative of the whole British populace.

Conclusions

Suicidality is common in the British population. The strong relationships between elements of suicidality are clinically important.

Keywords

SuicideDeliberate self-harmSuicidal ideationEpidemiologySurvey
Type
Suicidology
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 25 , Issue 7 , November 2010 , pp. 427 - 431
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2019

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

Dennis, M., Baillon, S., Brugha, T.S., Lindesay, J., Stewart, R., Meltzer, H.The spectrum of suicidal ideation in Great Britain: comparisons across a 16–74 years age range. Psychol Med 2007; 37: 795–805.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dennis, M., Baillon, S., Brugha, T., Lindesay, J., Stewart, R., Meltzer, H.The influence of limitation in activity of daily living on suicidal ideation: results from a population survey of Great Britain. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2009; 44: 608–613.10.1007/s00127-008-0474-2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Department of Health. Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation, TSO: London 1999.Google Scholar
Department of Health. National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, TSO: London 2002.Google Scholar
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. Protect life. A shared vision DHSSP5N1, Belfast 2006.Google Scholar
Gairin, I., House, A., Owens, D.Attendance at the accident and emergency department in the year before suicide: retrospective study. Br J Psychiatry 2003; 183: 28–33.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gelder, M., Mayou, R., Cowen, P.Shorter Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry. Oxford University Press: 2001.Google Scholar
Gunnell, D., Harbord, R., Singleton, N., Jenkins, R., Lewis, G.Factors influencing the development and amelioration of suicidal thoughts in the general population. Br J Psychiatry 2004; 185: 385–393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, K., Fagg, J.Suicide and other causes of death, following attempted suicide. Br J Psychiatry 1988; 152: 359–366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, K., Bergen, H., Casey, D., Simkin, S., Palmer, B., Cooper, J.et al.Self-harm in England: a tale of three cities. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2007; 42: 513–521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, K., Zahl, D., Weatherall, R.Suicide following deliberate self-harm: long-term follow-up of patients presenting to a general hospital. Br J Psychiatry 2003; 182: 537–542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hjelmeland, H., Hawton, K., Hilmar Nordvik, H.Why people engage in parasuicide: A cross-cultural study of intentions. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2002; 32: 381–393.10.1521/suli.32.4.380.22336CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnston, A.K., Pirkis, J.E., Burgess, P.M.Suicidal thoughts and behaviours among Australian adults: findings from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Australian and New Zealand. J Psychiatry 2009; 43: 635–643.Google Scholar
Kish, L.Survey sampling. London: Wiley and Sons; 1965.Google Scholar
Lewis, G., Hawton, K., Jones, P.Strategies for preventing suicide. Br J Psychiatry 1997; 171: 351–354.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Meltzer, H, Lader, D, Corbin, T.Non-fatal suicidal behaviour among adults aged 16 to 74 in Great Britain, TSO: London 2002.10.1037/e623742007-001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Institute for clinical excellence, self-harm. The short-term physical and psychological management and secondary prevention of self-harm in primary and secondary care. London: NICE 2004.Google Scholar
Office of National Statistics (http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1092).Google Scholar
Owens, D., Dennis, M., Read, S., Davies, N.Outcome of deliberate self-poisoning. An examination of risk factors for repetition. Br J Psychiatry 1994; 165: 797–801.10.1192/bjp.165.6.797CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Owens, D., Wood, C., Greenwood, D., Hughes, T., Dennis, M.Mortality and suicide after non-fatal self-poisoning: a 16-year outcome study of patients attending accident and emergency. Br J Psychiatry 2005; 187: 470–475.10.1192/bjp.187.5.470CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pirkis, J., Burgess, P., Dunt, D.Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among Australian adults. Crisis 2000; 21: 16–25.10.1027//0227-5910.21.1.16CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rotham, K., Hawton, K., Evans, E.Reasons for deliberate self-harm: comparison of self-poisoners and self-cutters in a community sample of adolescents. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2004; 43: 80–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Royal College of Psychiatrists. Better services for people that self-harm: Quality standards for healthcare professionals 2006. http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/cru/auditSelfHarm.htm.Google Scholar
Sakinofsky, I.Repetition of suicidal behaviourHawton, K., Van Heeringen, K., The International handbook of suicide and attempted suicide Chichester: John Wiley and Sons; 2000. 385–404.10.1002/9780470698976.ch21CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salander Renberg, E.Self-reported life-weariness, death wishes, suicidal ideation, suicidal plans and suicide attempts in general population surveys in general population surveys in the north of Sweden 1986 and 1996. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2001; 36: 429–436.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scottish Executive. Choose life: a national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotland 2002. http://www.chooselife.net/home/Home.asp.Google Scholar
Singleton, N, Bumpstead, R, O’Brien, M.Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households, 2000, TSO: London 2001.Google Scholar
Singleton, N, Lee, A, Meltzer, H.Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households, 2000: Technical Report. Office for National Statistics: London 2002.Google Scholar
Tejedor, M.C., Diaz, A., Castillon, J.J.Attempted suicide: repetition and survival – findings of a follow-up study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1999; 100: 205–211.10.1111/j.1600-0447.1999.tb10847.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weissman, M., Bland, C., Canino, G.Prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in nine countries. Psychol Med 1999; 29: 9–17.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welsh Assembly government. A National Action Plan to reduce suicide and self-harm in Wales 2008–2013; 2008 http://new.wales.gov.uk/consultations/healthsocialcare/talktome/?lang=en.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, G., Smeeton, N.The repetition of Parasuicide in Edinburgh 1980 – 1981. Soc Psychiatry 1987; 22: 14–19.10.1007/BF00583615CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organisation SCAN: Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry Version 2.0, WHO: Geneva 1992.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.