Aspects of suicide and parsuicide

Abstract

Five aspects of suicidal behaviour in Edinburgh from 1968 to 1974 were examined. The data referred to 478 suicidal deaths and to parasuicide (attempted suicide) admissions to the Regional Poisoning Treatment Centre (R.P.T.C.). Firstly: 28% of suicides were found to have had a parasuicide admission and there was some evidence of a slight excess of deaths in the years immediately following parasuicide. Secondly: among suicides preceded by parasuicide, those with a recent episode (within 2 years of death) were found to be essentially similar to those with a longer interval. Thirdly: a history of previous parasuicide at any time was found to be important in delineating two groups of suicide. Suicides with prior parasuicide died more often from poisoning with drugs and were more likely to have a history of psychiatric treatment; suicides without prior parasuicide died more often from poisoning with domestic gas or violent means, were older, of higher social class and less often married. Fourthly: parasuicides who killed themselves within 2 years of admission to the R.P.T.C. were compared with a group of (broadly nonsuicidal) parasuicides. And lastly: a scale predictive of repetition of parasuicidal behaviour was used in an attempt to distinguish parasuicides who killed themselves from those who did not. The scale did not discriminate between the two groups.