Suicide, Self-Harm and Premature Death following First Episode Psychosis

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

People who commit suicide have often suffered with mental health problems. Psychotic disorders (such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder) are severe mental illnesses of disturbed thoughts, feelings, mood and behaviours. These diseases strike when people are young and affect 1 in 50 of the population. Suicides tend to occur early in the course of the illness, but the true rate of suicide after a first episode of illness or any change in rate over the last few decades has not been studied effectively.For this research, I want to trace a group of 3000 patients who suffered their first psychotic illness between 1965-2004 and find out what the suicide rate and death rate from other causes is. I will investigate if there have been any changes in rate over the last four decades and research possible risk factors that relate to individuals, their neighbourhood or health services. I will also follow-up 500 patients more closely, 10 years after they first became ill, to study self-harm in more detail. It will be important to know whether the risk factors for self-harm are the same as for suicide, so that strategies to prevent self-harm and suicide can be developed.