[Catamnestic studies of 107 patients receiving inpatient treatment 1966-1969 because of attempted suicide].

An act of suicide is understood as a sort of decompensation inside a schizophrenia, a cyclic psychosis as described by Leonhard, or a reactive depression, but is in particular the expression of a depressive reaction and the end result of a depressive neurotic development. 107 patients (55 men and 52 women) were under constant treatment because of suicide attempts: 37 cases of depressive neurosis, 23 cases of depressive reaction, 7 cases of reactive depression, 10 cases of hysterical reaction, 8 alcoholics, and 22 endogenous psychotics. In 1974 there were still 50 patients under examination. 22 patients were no longer alive, 15 of which had committed suicide. Check-ups showed that the depressive neurotics and reactive depressives had an emotive personality stress, whilst the cases of depressive reaction appeared mostly beyond help.