Suicide risk and incidence among patients with schizophrenia

 Rapolas Gaižutis1

1 Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Academy of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine

 Abstract

Suicide is an important public health problem. The most common mental illnesses associated with suicide or major suicide attempt are mood and psychotic disorders. Patients with schizophrenia experience personal distress, social and vocational dysfunction, also, the life expectancy of this group is shorter compared to the total population. Suicide is the leading, rapidly occurring early cause of death among individuals with schizophrenia and other psychotic spectrum disorders. Various studies have identified risk factors for suicide in patients with schizophrenia, and the benefits of such work are enormous in predicting and preventing the manifestation of suicidal behavior.

Aim: to select and analyze expert conclusions on suicide rates and risk factors among patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: the review of the literature was performed using the PubMed database, using previously generated keywords (schizophrenia, suicide in schizophrenia, suicide risk factors, schizophrenia epidemiology), and selecting publications investigating the burden of this topic.

Conclusions: after the analysis of the literature, the main causes of suicide in people with schizophrenia, risk factors, suicide frequency among these patients are presented.

Keywords: suicide, schizophrenia, epidemiology, risk factors.