Are People Living With Schizophrenia More Likely to Commit Suicide?

A person on a chat group said he read an article that said people living with schizophrenia are more likely to commit suicide within five years of their diagnosis.

I cannot find the article, however, I did find a book called 50 Signs of Mental Illness by James Whitney Hicks, M.D., that said, "Approximately one out of every ten patients with schizophrenia commit suicide, usually during the first ten years of illness". Hicks gives some reasons why people with schizophrenia commit suicide: 'the person is experiencing psychosis and believe that the world is against them, or they are confused by their symptoms'. Another explanation is that 'they are disturbed by their diagnosis'. There is hope, Hicks recommends a drug called clozapine to reduce the risk of suicide. In general, people with schizophrenia should take medication reduce to the risk of suicide.

Here are some tips if you think someone is suicidal (National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)):

Do not leave the person alone
Encourage the person to get immediate help or call 911
Make sure that the individual does not have access to firearms, medication, or other potential tools for suicide

Or you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for guidance and support.

What do you think?

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