Suicide of Psychiatric Inpatients 1970–1993 in Baden-Württemberg (Germany)

The well-known fact of suicides of psychiatric inpatients duringpsychiatric hospital treatment is discussed according to national andinternational suicide data. In our Baden-Württemberg (Germany)Psychiatric Inpatient Suicide Study an increase in suicide and suicide ratesfrom 1970 to 1993 can be shown with an mostly impressive increase in the1970s and a plateau formation in the 1980s and constant figures in the1990s. The group of 585 suicides (59% men, 41%women) is composed of: 26% primarily depressives, 53%schizophrenics (ICD-9); where the following features were notablepresuicidal syndrome with depressive mood (68%), insight into illness(63%), feelings of suffering (64%), failure (57%),hopelessness (54%) and helplessness (54%).