Factors related to increased risk of assaultive behavior in suicidal patients.

Overview

This study compared suicidal patients with assaultive behavior to suicidal patients without assaultive behavior. Of 667 suicidal male patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals during the study period, 90 (14%) were assaultive at the time of or just prior to admission, while of the 893 female suicidal patients admitted, 60 (7%) were assaultive. Male assaultive suicidal patients were more likely than non-assaultive males to be referred to hospitals by the law and mental health services, while female assaultive patients were more likely to be 34 years of age or younger and to have primary psychiatric diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia, alcohol or drug abuse, or psychotic organic brain syndrome. For both sexes, assaultive suicidal patients were more likely to have delusions, hallucinations, feelings of suspicion or persecution as well as anger, belligerence, agitation and anti-social behavior. There was no significant difference between assaultive and non-assaultive suicidal patients in regard to the frequency of depressive symptoms.