Successful suicides and serious attempts in a general hospital over 15-year period.

The occurrence of suicide in the general hospital was studied in terms of incidence, age groups, and diagnostic category. The authors describe both physical and psychiatric syndromes that seem to be connected with higher vulnerability for self-destructive acts. Suicidal behavior was not found to be a random or impulsive act, but rather the final expression in action of already communicated clues in many instances. The bimodal distribution of two separate age and diagnostic groupings is described and can serve as a basis for a heightened awareness of the suicidal potential in these patients.