Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-fqc5m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T21:56:17.168Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

‘The Health of the Nation’, suicide and the general hospital doctor

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

P. Y. Elwood*
Affiliation:
Bootham Park Hospital, York YO3 7BY
P. De Silva
Affiliation:
Academic Department of Psychiatry, University of Hull, Hull HU10 6ED
*
Correspondence
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Records were obtained of all suicide and open verdicts in York (n=127) between 1990–1994 inclusive. Those with no past or current contact with psychiatric services were identified (n=67). The extent and nature of this group's general (i.e. non-psychiatric) hospital contact in the months prior to death was established. Thirteen per cent (9/67) of these received general hospital input in the month before death with eight out of the nine aged over 65. Five of the 67 suicides showed evidence of depression. General hospital practitioners are in a position to make a small but important contribution in reducing the suicide rate.

Type
Original papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

References

Barraclough, B., Bunch, J., Nelson, B., et al (1974) A hundred cases of suicide: clinical aspects. British Journal of Psychiatry, 125, 355373.Google Scholar
Department of Health (1992) The Health of the Nation: Strategy for Health in England (Cm 1986), London: HMSO.Google Scholar
Matthews, K., Milne, S. & Ashcroft, G. (1994) Role of doctors in the prevention of suicide: the final consultation. British Journal of General Practice, 44, 345348.Google Scholar
Meats, P. & Solomka, B. (1995) A perspective of suicides in the 90s. Psychiatric Bulletin, 19, 666669.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutz, W., Von Knorring, L. & Walinder, J. (1989) Frequency of suicide on Gotland after systematic postgraduate education of general practitioners. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 80, 151154.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.