Some characteristics of patients with schizophrenia who attempted suicide.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determinate some characteristics of schizophrenia patients who attempted suicide at the Skopje Psychiatric Hospital, Skopje, with respect to clinical, ethical and legal context.

METHODS

The study included 80 patients with schizophrenia, 17.5% (n=14) of whom attempted suicide. The psychiatric diagnosis of schizophrenia was based on ICD-10 criteria. Sociodemographic and clinical data are presented descriptively as percentages.

RESULTS

Based on the characteristics of patients with schizophrenia who attempted suicide, we obtained a typical profile as follows: middle-aged persons (average age 44.8), single (71.4% were not married and 35.7% lived alone), (87.5%) unemployed, repeatedly hospitalized and had a history of suicide attempts (50%), attempting suicide using a violent method (poisoning 64.3%, drowning 21.4%, slashing their wrists 14.3%, jumped from a height 7.1% etc.) after more than three weeks of hospital treatment, and out of hospital. The success of psychiatric treatment is the perception of the legal and medical aspects of suicide as well as their efficient balancing.