[Suicide and endogenous psychosis]

Abstract

The frequency of suicide among a population of 675 patients with functional psychoses, within a period of observation between 9 and 24 years, was 5.5%. Suicide was the cause of death in 25.6% of all lethal outcomes. The suicide frequency of schizophrenics was 1.4%, of the bipolar cases 2.4% of the monopolar depressives 10.4%. The frequency of suicide of the parents and sibs of schizophrenics was 1.3%, of schizoaffectives 3.8%, monopolar depressives 4.2%, bipolar affective psychotics 4.3%. There was no sex difference in regard to suicide frequency but in regard to the choice of suicide means (strangulation in male, poisoning and submersion in female relatives).