Among patients with schizophrenia who died by suicide, those who had the illness for less than a year had fewer characteristics commonly associated with suicide risk, such as substance use or a history of self-harm, according to a study issued this week in Schizophrenia Bulletin.
The findings suggest that some patients’ lives are severely disrupted by their diagnosis, and they require additional support earlier in the course of their illness, wrote Alison Baird, Ph.D., of the University of Manchester, and colleagues. “Services need to be aware of the disruption recent onset of schizophrenia has to social circumstances, such as relationships and work, and help to reduce this by providing intensive and regular support.”
Baird and colleagues used the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health to collect clinical and demographic data on 2,828 people (average age of 42 and 75% male) in England and Wales who were diagnosed with schizophrenia and died by suicide between 2008 and 2021. Of this group, 288 patients died by suicide less than a year after they received their diagnosis.
Patients who died a year or more after their schizophrenia diagnosis were more likely to have characteristics known to be commonly associated with suicide, including being unemployed, being unmarried or living alone, and misusing alcohol and/or drugs. Those who died less than a year after their diagnosis were more likely to be younger (under 25 years old), have a comorbid affective disorder, and to have been in contact with mental health services in the week prior to their death. Further, 52% of those who died less than a year after their diagnosis were either a current inpatient, discharged from inpatient care within the last three months, or receiving crisis treatment at home.
“This study highlights how common established characteristics for suicide can vary at different stages of illness and so can direct clinical focus to where care and suicide prevention efforts can be improved most effectively for particular patient groups,” the authors wrote. “Suicide deaths among the recent onset group were more common in early discharge from inpatient care and under the care of [home services], presenting opportunities for intervention in these settings.”
For related information, see the Psychiatric News article “Early Intervention in Psychosis: Balancing Promise and Pitfalls.”
(Image: Getty Images/iStock/Nuttawan Jayawan)
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