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Open verdict v. suicide — importance to research

County Hospital, Durham

KURT SCHAPIRA, MD, Emeritus Consultant Psychiatrist

Honorary Senior Research Associate, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne

T. P. KELLY, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Psychology

Department of Psychiatry, University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Correspondence: Dr Keith Linsley, Consultant Psychiatrist, County Hospital, North Road, Durham DHI 4ST. E-mail: keith.linsley{at}cddpsnhs.fsnet.co.uk

Declaration of interest None.

See pp. 458–464, this issue.

Background Open verdicts are often included in with suicides for research purposes and for setting health targets.

Aims To examine similarities and differences in cases defined by the coroner as suicide and open verdicts and the implications of open verdicts for suicide research.

Method All cases of open and suicide verdicts recorded in the Newcastle Coroner's Court in the period 1985-1994 were compared on demographic and medical parameters.

Results Open and suicide verdicts had many similarities, differing only in some respects, of which logistic regression identified the most significant to be a suicide note, method used and age.

Conclusions Open verdicts should be included in all suicide research after excluding cases in which suicide was unlikely. Objective criteria are needed to facilitate comparison between different studies.

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Highlights of this issue

ELIZABETH WALSH
BJP 2001 178: 0. [Full Text]  

Relationship of suicide rates to social factors and availability of lethal methods: Comparison of suicide in Newcastle upon Tyne 1961-1965 and 1985-1994

KURT SCHAPIRA, K. R. LINSLEY, A. LINSLEY, T. P. KELLY, and D. W. K. KAY
BJP 2001 178: 458-464. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

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