Nuttall E A, Evenson R C, Cho D W
J Nerv Ment Dis. 1980 Jul;168(7):424-7. doi: 10.1097/00005053-198007000-00006.
Twelve per cent of suicides in Missouri during a 3-year period were identified as having been patients of the state mental health care system by computer matching of death certificate tapes and a statewide case registry file. The percentage of Missouri suicides who had been patients varied markedly among age groups. Compared to nonpatient suicides, the patient suicides had a more equal male/female ratio and were younger. Diagnostically, schizophrenia, alcoholism (among males), and affective disorder (among females) were prominent. Nonwhites had a low incidence of suicide. The significance of the patient status at the time of death is discussed.
