Kapur et al, 2013

This study explored suicide rates in a national sample of in-patients over a 12-year period (1997-2008).

It found that rates of in-patient suicides fell by almost a third over the study period, across genders, ethnicities, psychiatric diagnoses, and the most common suicide methods.

Although the number of post-discharge suicides fell between 1997 and 2008, the rate increased due to a fall in the number of discharges at the same period. The number of suicides occurring in patients under the care of crisis resolution/home treatment also increased.

It is possible that falling general population rates, changes in the in-patient population, or improved in-patient safety may have contributed to falling rates. The potentially high rates of suicide in settings that are alternatives to in-patient care warrant further exploration.

Read the full paper:

• Psychiatric in-patient care and suicide in England, 1997-2008: a longitudinal study (Psychological Medicine)

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