Suicide and the Hospital Service

A Study of Hospital Records of Patients who Subsequently Committed Suicide

¹ consultant Psychiatrist, St. Andrew's Hospital, Thorpe St. Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk, NOR 58A

1. Thirty cases of suicide in one town occurring in a 7-year period were studied retrospectively.

2. From examination of hospital notes 9 were seen to have recently received psychiatric treatment. Of these 4 had also recently received treatment for physical illness. Ten others had recently had treatment for physical illness alone. (Patients were regarded as having recently received treatment if they had attended a consultant's out-patient department in the past 6 months or had been in-patients in the previous two years).

3. The proportion of physical and mental illness were both significantly higher than a control group matched for age and sex.

4. Attention is drawn to the necessity for active follow-up of discharged psychiatric patients and the possible need for psychiatric intervention in prolonged physical illness.