Suicide and Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a devastating neuropsychiatric condition. Even with successful treatment, most people with this illness continue to live with some symptoms that can isolate them for normal social interaction. This condition is also associated with a very high risk of suicide attempts (4% to 30%)and completed suicide (4% to 13%).

As part of Caring for the Suicidal Patient: An Evidence- Based Approach (PDF only), a timely and accessible compilation document focused on the secondary and tertiary prevention of suicide, CAMH’s Dr. David Mamo looked at the existing evidence and best-practices for managing suicide in schizophrenia. Directed at front-line clinicians, his paper provides a systematic overview of the literature in this area.

Not surprisingly, the review indicated that suicidality in schizophrenia is high. Early detection relies on the clinician identifying:

• Signs of depression, despair, and hopelessness, and
• The nature and severity of the psychotic experience itself, particularly in individuals recently diagnosed with schizophrenia who have high cognitive function and educational background.

Based on Dr. Mamo’s review, effectively managing suicidality in individuals with schizophrenia involves a combination of traditional bedside clinical skills, selecting psychosocial techniques to address depression and psychosocial stressors based on individual needs, and selective treatment with medication directed primarily at an individual’s psychotic and depressive symptoms.

Visit Managing Suicidality in Schizophrenia for the full text (PDF) of this paper.

For more information visit Caring for the Suicidal Patient: New CAMH-led Resource Addresses Best Practices for Different Populations.

* Note: some journals are free online but others may require a subscription by your institution to access the full article. If you need further assistance, contact your university or workplace library, or contact the CAMH Library at library@camh.net

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