Meta-analysis of suicide rates among psychiatric in-patients
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine factors associated with the number of psychiatric admissions per in-patient suicide and the suicide rate per 100,000 in-patient years in psychiatric hospitals. METHOD: Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate pooled estimates, and meta-regression was used to examine between-sample heterogeneity. RESULTS: Forty-four studies published between 1945 and 2013 reported a total of 7552 in-patient suicides. The pooled estimate of the number of admissions per suicide calculated using 39 studies reporting 150 independent samples was 676 (95% CI: 604-755). Recent studies tended to report higher numbers of admissions per suicide than earlier studies. The pooled estimate of suicide rates per 100,000 in-patient years calculated using 27 studies reporting 95 independent samples was 147 (95% CI: 138-156). Rates of suicide per 100,000 in-patient years tended to be higher in more recent samples, in samples from regions with a higher whole of population suicide rate, in samples from settings with a shorter average length of hospital stay and in studies using coronial records to define suicide. CONCLUSION: Rates of in-patient suicide in psychiatric hospitals vary remarkably and are disturbingly high. Further research might clarify the extent to which patient factors and the characteristics of in-patient facilities contribute to the unacceptable mortality in psychiatric hospitals.
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The suicide rate among inpatients is about 150/100,000 inpatient-years.
“that the suicide rate among inpatients is about 150/100,000 inpatient-years (90)”
From Using Administrative Data to Predict Suicide After Psychiatric Hospitalization in the Veterans Health Administration System (2020) · cites this paper as [90]
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- Authors
- Walsh, G., Sara, G., Ryan, C. J., & Large, M.
- Affiliations
- Prince of Wales Hospital (AU)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Large, M.
- Venue
- Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-01-05
- Volume
- 131
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 174-184
- ISSN
- 0001-690X (ISSN-L)
- 1600-0447
- OpenAlex
- W1996177127
- Cited by
- 110
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 1.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Keywords
- psychiatric hospitals, suicide rates, psychiatric hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, coronial records
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, Hospitals, Psychiatric, Humans, Inpatients, Regression Analysis, Risk Factors, Suicide
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