Suicide in Schizophrenia

Introduction

It is believed that every fourth patient with schizophrenia commits suicide attempt. Sometimes it happens during the period of medical supervision. In this paper we attempt to identify risk factors for suicide in patients with schizophrenia and to develop practical guidance for the development of preventive strategies.

Discussion

Suicide is the leading cause of death in patients with schizophrenia of all ages. A history of previous suicide attempts is common among suicide victims, as well as affective symptoms, feelings of hopelessness and demoralization (Knights, & Hirsch, 806). Active paranoid process may increase the risk of suicide, while reducing its negative symptoms.  Patients with schizophrenia have a shortened life expectancy.  It is estimated that from 9 to 24% of patients with schizophrenia die by their hands, and the rating of suicide among patients with schizophrenia is 50 times higher than in the general population of the U.S. population (Knights, & Hirsch, 812). In the development of effective preventive strategies for suicide should be considered:

Risk factors for a specific individual or specific group

The relationship of risk factors and disease

Actualization and disavowal of some other risk factors under different conditions of one group of patients

It is important that a preventive strategy of suicide in patients with schizophrenia was developed taking into account demographic and clinical characteristics of this population is the population. Describing the 20 clinical cases of patients with schizophrenia who committed suicide, this review summarizes the risk factors for suicide in schizophrenia to develop preventative strategies (Kingdon, Turkington, & John, 581).

Relationship and Risk Factors

Demographic Characteristics: Age

In countries that provide such statistics, the rating of suicide increases with age. In contrast, the rating of suicide among patients with schizophrenia decreases with age. Hu and colleagues found that 35 (83%) of 42 patients with schizophrenia who killed themselves did so at the age of 30. In 19 schizophrenic suicides, according to King, the average age was 33.4 years, significantly lower than for other groups (King, Burke & Lucas, 480). According to the data, as well as information from other sources, more advanced age indicates a lower risk of suicide among patients with schizophrenia. Consequently, the point of application of significant efforts to prevent suicide among patients with schizophrenia should be young people.

Other Factors

There is evidence that living without a spouse; social isolation and lack of work are also risk factors of suicide for patients with schizophrenia, as in the general population. However, these same events occur with all patients with schizophrenia who have the disease, developing at a young age, violate the social and vocational functioning. We can estimate the impact of the adverse effects of illness on people's lives and take them in isolation as a risk for committing suicide in the individual (Johnstone, Owens et al, 586). However, the necessary in-depth research to find the demographics, which correlates the incidence of suicide among patients with schizophrenia and that may be identified as risk factors for, or used to identify individuals at increased risk of suicide.(See. Modal characteristics of schizophrenic patients commit suicide).

Characteristics of the Disease: A Form of the Flow Duration

Studies show that ...