Suicide risk after a suicide attempt

doi:10.1136/bmj.a2512

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Udo Reulbach, senior researcher1,
Stefan Bleich, medical director and head of department2

¹National Suicide Research Foundation. College Road, Cork, Ireland
²Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical School of Hannover, 30625 Hannover, Germany

udo.nsrf{at}iol.ie

Is highest in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Two linked studies explore the risk of non-fatal self harm after discharge from a psychiatric hospital and the factors associated with the risk of suicide after a suicide attempt.1 2 Suicide is one of the 10 leading causes of death worldwide and will represent about 2.4% of the global burden of disease by 2020, with about 1.5 million people dying from suicide each year.3 Making the prevention of suicide a health service and public health priority is justified on medical, ethical, and cost effectiveness grounds.4 5

Previous attempts at suicide increase the risk of suicide 30-40 times.6 A history of deliberate self harm is the strongest predictor of future suicidal behaviour.7 A systematic review found that 16% of patients who attended an accident and …