SOME INTERRELATIONS OF SOCIAL FACTORS AND CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS IN ATTEMPTED SUICIDE: A STUDY OF 109 PATIENTS
ELI ROBINS M. D.,
EDWIN H. SCHMIDT M. D., , and
PATRICIA O'NEAL M. D.1
1 The department of psychiatry and neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and the St. Louis City Hospital (Malcolm A. Bliss Psychopathic Institute).
1. A study has been reported of social factors in the suicide attempts of 109 patients brought to a general hospital immediately after having made a suicide attempt.
2. Patients with chronic alcoholism, conversion reaction, and sociopathic personality reported a much higher frequency of social difficulties, such as marital friction, divorce, job instability, and financial dependency, than did patients with manic-depressive psychosis and chronic brain syndromes. They not only were involved in more social difficulties at the time they made the suicide attempt, but also reported more such difficulties throughout their lives.
3. Just before the manic-depressive and chronic brain syndrome patients attempted suicide they were disturbed by feelings of depression, self-disgust, and worthlessness, but seldom by feelings of anger or spite towards other persons or by feelings of frustration or neglect caused by others, while the patients in the other 3 diagnostic groups showed the opposite pattern.
4. There were probably no psychiatrically well patients and probably no patients with an anxiety reaction (anxiety neurosis) in the entire group of 109 patients who had made a suicide attempt.
5. The interrelationships of social difficulties, diagnosis, and suicide attempt, based on the findings of this study, were discussed.
