Extended suicide attempt: Psychopathology, personality and risk factors

Delinquency among depressed patients plays a minor role in criminal behavio r. Among the most tragic associations between depression and criminality a re cases of extended suicide or suicide attempt. We studied psychopathology , personality, and psychosocial stressors of 9 Austrian females who committ ed a serious extended suicide attempt. They were admitted for treatment at a special department of the Justizanstalt Wien-Josefstadt, Aussenstelle Wil helmshohe. Patients were diagnosed according to ICD-10 as severely depresse d with (n = 6) or without (n = 3) psychotic features. After stabilization w e diagnosed the following personality disorders: anxious-avoidant (n = 5), paranoid (n = 1), combined (n = 1) and borderline type (n = 1). Traits of t he typus melancholicus were found in 5 patients, Seven females were pretrea ted before the offence by a psychiatrist or a psychologist; 4 of them had c ommitted at least one suicide attempt in the past. Main psychosocial stress ors mentioned by patients in the context of the offence were overstrain, ma rital and/or financial problems, One female killed her child under the infl uence of acoustic hallucinations. Patients with traits of the melancholic t ype showed an altruistic and hypernomic motive for killing as well as a psy chotic identification with the victim, whereas in the other cases egocentri c motives were in the forefront, Potential risk factors for an extended sui cide attempt will be discussed. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.