Abstract
Background
The aim of this article was to study repeated suicidal behaviour in a low-incidence population to elucidate robust risk factors.
Methods
A cohort of first-ever suicide attempters from 1960 to 1982 on the Faroe Islands was followed up for a minimum of 20 years. The cohort was initially characterized in psychiatric and social terms.
Results
The incidence of suicidal behaviour for the cohort years (age 15 years and older) was 37.9 per 100,000 per year (95% confidence interval 31.5–45.1). It was associated, as expected, with gender, age, residence, marital status, occupation, diagnosis, previous psychiatric admission, alcohol intoxication and the method and planning of the act. Factors of the index episode predicting repetition at 5 years were gestures and alcohol intoxication and at 20 years were physical methods, suicide letter and alcohol intoxication.
Conclusions
Alcohol intoxication and the level of determination behind the suicide attempt emerge as targets for prevention. Alcohol intoxication at the initial episode seems to be a strong long-term as well as short-term risk factor.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altman DG, Machin D, Bryant TN, Gardner MJ (2000) Statistics with confidence, 2nd edn. British Medical Journal Books, London
Bech AT, Steer RA (1989) Clinical predictors of eventual suicide attempts. J Affect Disord 17:203–209
Dawson B, Trapp RG (2004) Basic & clinical biostatistics, 4th edn. Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill, New York
Hall DJ, Obrien F, Stark C, Pelosi A, Smith H (1998) Thirteen-year follow-up of deliberate self-harm, using linked data. Br J Psychiatry 172:239–242
Hansen PE, Wang AG, Stage KB, Kragh-Sørensen P (2003) Danish University Antidepressant Group (DUAG). Comorbid personality disorder predicts suicide of major depression: a 10-year follow-up. Acta Psychiatr Scand 107(6):436–440
Hansen W, Wang AG (1984) Suicide attempts in a Danish region. Soc Psychiatry 19:197–201
Hawton K, Fagg J, Platt S, Hawkins M (1993) Factor associated with suicide after parasuicide in young people. Br Med J 306:1641–1644
Isomäthsi ET, Lönnquist JK (1998) Suicide attempts preceding completed suicide. Br J Psychiatry 173:531–535
Jorgensen TH, Buttenschon HN, Wang AG, Als TD, Borglum AD, Ewald H (2004) The origin of the isolated population of the Faroe Islands, investigated using Y-chromosome markers. Hum Genet 115(1):19–28 (June)
Kerkhoff JFM, Arensman E (2001) Pathways to suicide. In: Van Heeringen K (ed) Understanding suicidal behaviour. Wiley, Chichester
Nielsen B (1994) Prædiktorer for gentagen suicidal adfærd. Et klinisk epidemiologisk studie. Ph.D. thesis, Odense University
Nordström P, Gustavsson P, Edman G, Åsberg M (1996) Temperamental vulnerability and suicide risk after attempted suicide. Suicide Life Threat Behav 26:380–394
Powell KE, Kresnow M, Mercy JA, Potter LP, Swann AC, Frankowski RF, Lee RL, Bayer TL (2002) Alcohol consumption and nearly lethal suicide attempts. Suicide Life Threat Behav 32(1):30–41
Retterstøl N, Ekeberg Ø, Mehlum L (2002) Selvmod—et personlig og samfundsmæssig problem. Gyldendal Akademisk, Oslo
Safinovsky I (2000) Repetition of suicidal behaviour. In: Hawton K, van Heeringen K (eds) Suicide and attempted suicide. Wiley, Chichester, pp 385–404
Sainsbury P, Kreitman N (1975) Methods of psychiatric research, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, London
Schmithe A, Bille-Brahe U, de Leo D, Kerkhof A, Bjerke T, Crepet P, Haring C, Hawton K, Lönnquist J, Michel J, Pommereau X, Querejeta L, Philippe A, Salander-Renberg E, Temesvary B, Wasserman D, Fricke S, Weinacker B, Sampaio-Faria J (1996) Attempted suicide in Europe: rates, trends and sociodemographic characteristics of suicide attempters during the period 1989–1992. Results of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study on Parasuicide. Acta Psychiatr Scand 93:327–338
Stengel E (1964) Suicide and attempted suicide. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth
Stengel E, Cook NG (1958) Attempted suicide: its social significance and effects. Maudsley monograph number 4. Oxford University Press, London
Wang AG (1996) Suicidal behaviour in a low-incidence population. A study of the Faroe Islanders. Annales Societatis Scientiarum Faroensis, Supplementum XXI, Torshavn
Wang AG, Nielsen B, Bille-Brahe U, Hansen W, Kolmos L (1986) Assessment of repeated suicidal behaviour. Acta Psychiatr Scand 73:389–394
Wang AG, Vang M, Mors O, Nyegaard M, Kruse TA, Ewald H (1998) Human population genetics in the Faroe Islands. Ann Soc Sci Far 46:9–16
Williams M (2001) Suicide and attempted suicide. Penguin Books, London
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, A.G., Mortensen, G. Core features of repeated suicidal behaviour. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 41, 103–107 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0980-4
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0980-4