Suicide Prevention in People with Severe Mental Illness

In this course, Professor Merete Nordentoft, Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention, presents Danish and international epidemiological studies to show the suicide risk in different diagnostic groups and in different phases of treatment, along with the risk factors for suicide among those with different mental disorders. <br/><br/>Suicide among people with mental illnesses is an important clinical and public health problem. Although clinical research with detailed information on large numbers of patients is lacking, register-based studies can help us to identify high risk groups and high-risk periods. This research has demonstrated that suicide rates among people with mental disorders are approximately 20 fold higher than among people in the general population, and people with mental disorders constitute a high proportion of those who die from suicide. Discussion points include how register-based research can help us to identify new possibilities for clinical intervention and ascertain which new areas of research are warranted. Professor Nordentoft also outlines what can be improved during inpatient stay, shortly after discharge, and in relation to emergency room visits, and she poses the question of what role mental health services can play in reaching out to community members at risk of suicide.