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Suicide in mental health in-patients and within 3 months of discharge

National clinical survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Janet Meehan ,
Navneet Kapur ,
Isabelle M. Hunt ,
Pauline Turnbull ,
Jo Robinson ,
Harriet Bickley ,
Rebecca Parsons ,
Sandra Flynn ,
James Burns  and
Tim Amos
...Show all authors
Janet Meehan
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Navneet Kapur
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Isabelle M. Hunt
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Pauline Turnbull
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Jo Robinson
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Harriet Bickley
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Rebecca Parsons
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Sandra Flynn
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
James Burns
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Tim Amos
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Jenny Shaw
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Louis Appleby*
Affiliation:
Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
*
Professor Louis Appleby, Centre for Suicide Prevention, University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. E-mail: Louis.appleby@manchester.ac.uk
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Abstract

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Background

Suicide prevention is a health service priority. Suicide risk may be greatest during psychiatric in-patient admission and following discharge.

Aims

To describe the social and clinical characteristics of a comprehensive sample of in-patient and post-discharge cases of suicide.

Method

A national clinical survey based on a 4-year (1996–2000) sample of cases of suicide in England and Wales who had been in recent contact with mental health services (n=4859).

Results

There were 754 (16%) current in-patients and a further 1100 (23%) had been discharged from psychiatric in-patient care less than 3 months before death. Nearly a quarter of the in-patient deaths occurred within the first 7 days of admission; 236 (31%) occurred on the ward, the majority by hanging. Post-discharge suicide was most frequent in the first 2 weeks after leaving hospital; the highest number occurred on the first day.

Conclusions

Suicide might be prevented among in-patients by improving ward design and removing fixtures that can be used in hanging. Prevention of suicide after discharge requires early community follow-up and closer supervision of high-risk patients.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 188 , Issue 2 , February 2006 , pp. 129 - 134
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Footnotes

†

See pp. 135–142 and 143–147, this issue.

Declaration of Interest

L.A. is the National Director of Mental Health for England. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

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