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Suicide Notes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Ian O'Donnell*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford, Centre for Criminological Research, 12 Bevington Road, Oxford OX2 6LH
Richard Farmer
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
Jose Catalan
Affiliation:
Academic and Clinical Department of Psychological Medicine, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School
*
Correspondence

Abstract

Detailed case reports of incidents of suicide and attempted suicide on the London Underground railway system between 1985 and 1989 were examined for the presence of suicide notes. The incidence of note-leaving was 15%. Notes provided little insight into the causes of suicide as subjectively perceived, or strategies for suicide prevention.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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