Nine Suicide Pacts a Clinical Study of a Consecutive Series 1974–93

1995 ◽  
Vol 167 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Brown ◽  
Elizabeth King ◽  
Brian Barraclough
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Clinical Study ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
History Of

BackgroundSuicide pacts are rarely discussed in the medical literature. We report here the medical and social aspects of a consecutive series of double or pact suicides.MethodCoroners' records were examined for 722 consecutive suicides. Data were extracted from them and from medical and psychiatric records.ResultsNine pacts (2.5% of suicides) were located: 11 of the 18 people appeared to have been mentally ill at the time of death and three more had a history of mental illness. Five had a significant medical history (three cancer).ConclusionsMental disorder is common in those who enter suicide pacts (mainly depression, with alcohol dependence rare). Motivations for suicide appear to be relief of mental disorder and pain.

scholarly journals Latent profiles of early developmental vulnerabilities in a New South Wales child population at age 5 years

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 530-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J Green ◽  
Stacy Tzoumakis ◽  
Kristin R Laurens ◽  
Kimberlie Dean ◽  
Maina Kariuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Early Development ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
New South ◽  
Criminal Offending ◽  
Parental History ◽  
South Wales ◽  
History Of

Objective: Detecting the early emergence of childhood risk for adult mental disorders may lead to interventions for reducing subsequent burden of these disorders. We set out to determine classes of children who may be at risk for later mental disorder on the basis of early patterns of development in a population cohort, and associated exposures gleaned from linked administrative records obtained within the New South Wales Child Development Study. Methods: Intergenerational records from government departments of health, education, justice and child protection were linked with the Australian Early Development Census for a state population cohort of 67,353 children approximately 5 years of age. We used binary data from 16 subdomains of the Australian Early Development Census to determine classes of children with shared patterns of Australian Early Development Census–defined vulnerability using latent class analysis. Covariates, which included demographic features (sex, socioeconomic status) and exposure to child maltreatment, parental mental illness, parental criminal offending and perinatal adversities (i.e. birth complications, smoking during pregnancy, low birth weight), were examined hierarchically within latent class analysis models. Results: Four classes were identified, reflecting putative risk states for mental disorders: (1) disrespectful and aggressive/hyperactive behaviour, labelled ‘misconduct risk’ ( N = 4368; 6.5%); (2) ‘pervasive risk’ ( N = 2668; 4.0%); (3) ‘mild generalised risk’ ( N = 7822; 11.6%); and (4) ‘no risk’ ( N = 52,495; 77.9%). The odds of membership in putative risk groups (relative to the no risk group) were greater among children from backgrounds of child maltreatment, parental history of mental illness, parental history of criminal offending, socioeconomic disadvantage and perinatal adversities, with distinguishable patterns of association for some covariates. Conclusion: Patterns of early childhood developmental vulnerabilities may provide useful indicators for particular mental disorder outcomes in later life, although their predictive utility in this respect remains to be established in longitudinal follow-up of the cohort.

The History of Unreason

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Samuel Teague ◽  
Peter Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Social Construction ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health And Illness ◽  
History Of

This chapter reflects on the importance of the historical narrative of mental illness, arguing that Western countries have sought new ways to confine the mentally ill in the post-asylum era, namely through the effects of stigma and medicalization. The walls are invisible, when once they were physical. The chapter outlines how health and illness can be understood as socially constructed illustrating how mental health has been constructed uniquely across cultures and over time. To understand this process more fully, it is necessary to consider the history of madness, a story of numerous social flashpoints. The trajectories of two primary mental health narratives are charted in this chapter. The authors argue that these narratives have played, and continue to play, an important role in the social construction of mental illness. These narratives are “confinement” and “individual responsibility.” Drawing on the work of Michel Foucault and Roy Porter, the authors describe how Western culture has come to consider the mentally ill as a distinct, abnormal other.

Prevalence of Schizophrenia among Women in Refuges for the Homeless

1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 405-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Virgona ◽  
Neil Buhrich ◽  
Maree Teesson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Homeless Women ◽  
Lifetime Prevalence ◽  
Prolonged Stay ◽  
Psychiatric Institution ◽  
Homeless Mentally Ill ◽  
History Of

There are considerably more homeless mentally ill men than women. However the rate of mental illness among homeless women appears to be relatively greater than for men. We found the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia among a cohort of 54 women residing in refuges for the homeless in inner Sydney to be approximately 30%. Only three of the women had a history of prolonged stay in a psychiatric institution. Schizophrenic women had resided at the refuges for longer than non-schizophrenic women.

Police referral of compulsory admissions — a comparison study

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 116-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Doyle ◽  
William Delaney
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Retrospective Review ◽  
Comparison Study ◽  
Police Intervention ◽  
Emergency Procedures ◽  
History Of ◽  
One Year ◽  
Property Offences

AbstractObjective: To determine the characteristics of compulsory admissions by the police and to compare them with compulsory admissions by other means. Method: A retrospective review over one year of the case records of 48 consecutive compulsory admissions after referral by the police was compared with 96 other randomly chosen compulsory referrals over the same period. Results: In both groups a majority had a chronic history of mental illness with frequent prior compulsory hospitalisation. Significant differences were found between the two groups with the police group more often younger, single, unemployed, males. They were also significantly more likely to suffer from schizophrenia and to have had their admission precipitated by behaviour of an assaultive nature, or by property offences, and on admission to spend a shorter period in hospital. Conclusions: It is suggested that at-risk case registers and the use of alternative emergency procedures will serve to lessen the need for police intervention with the mentally ill.

scholarly journals Biogenetic explanations and public acceptance of mental illness: Systematic review of population studies

2011 ◽  
Vol 199 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias C. Angermeyer ◽  
Anita Holzinger ◽  
Mauro G. Carta ◽  
Georg Schomerus
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
General Public ◽  
Causal Attributions ◽  
Population Studies ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
People With Mental Illness

BackgroundBiological or genetic models of mental illness are commonly expected to increase tolerance towards people with mental illness, by reducing notions of responsibility and blame.AimsTo investigate whether biogenetic causal attributions of mental illness among the general public are associated with more tolerant attitudes, whether such attributions are related to lower perceptions of guilt and responsibility, to what extent notions of responsibility are associated with rejection of people who are mentally ill, and how prevalent notions of responsibility are among the general public with regard to different mental disorders.MethodA systematic review was conducted of representative population studies examining attitudes towards people with mental illness and beliefs about such disorders.ResultsWe identified 33 studies relevant to this review. Generally, biogenetic causal attributions were not associated with more tolerant attitudes; they were related to stronger rejection in most studies examining schizophrenia. No published study reported on associations of biogenetic causal attributions and perceived responsibility. The stereotype of self-responsibility was unrelated to rejection in most studies. Public images of mental disorder are generally dominated by the stereotypes of unpredictability and dangerousness, whereas responsibility is less relevant.ConclusionsBiogenetic causal models are an inappropriate means of reducing rejection of people with mental illness.

Conclusion

2019 ◽  
pp. 309-314
Author(s):  
Martin Summers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Health It ◽  
Historical Scholarship ◽  
History Of ◽  
Orthodox View

The conclusion provides a summation of the book’s main arguments and offers suggestions for further research in the history of African American mental health. It reasserts the two central theses. First, Saint Elizabeths’ psychiatrists’ construction and reaffirmation of the white psyche as the norm produced a great deal of ambiguity regarding the nature of black insanity. This contributed to the prioritizing of the white sufferer of mental illness and the marginalization of mentally ill blacks. Second, African American patients and their communities exercised agency in their interactions with Saint Elizabeths, both to shape the therapeutic experience and to assert their status as citizens. This latter argument suggests that the orthodox view that African Americans have generally had an indifferent or antagonistic relationship to psychiatry needs to be rethought, which will require further historical scholarship, particularly with respect to African American activism within the realm of mental health care.

Supreme Court Limits Permissible Scope of Government’s Ability to Force Medication of Mentally Ill Defendants

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 737-739
Author(s):  
Mayelin Prieto-Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Antipsychotic Drugs ◽  
The Supreme Court ◽  
Law Enforcement Officials ◽  
History Of ◽  
Criminal Charges

On June 16, 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that forced administration of antipsychotic drugs to a defendant facing serious criminal charges is appropriate in order to render that defendant competent to stand trial, but only in limited circumstances. The treatment must be medically appropriate, substantially unlikely to have side effects that may undermine the fairness of the trial, and necessary to significantly further important government interests, after taking account of less-intrusive alternatives.Charles Sell, a former dentist, had a long history of mental illness. He had been hospitalized twice, in 1982 and 1984, after expressing paranoid ideas to law enforcement officials. In May 1997, Sell was charged with fifty-six counts of mail fraud, six counts of Medicaid fraud, and one count of money laundering. He was released on bail after a magistrate determined that he was currently competent to stand trial.

Characteristics of homeless mentally ill people who lose contact with caring agencies

1994 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 160-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Marshall ◽  
Julia Nehring ◽  
Catherine Taylor ◽  
Denis Gath
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Disorder ◽  
Alcohol Dependence ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Consecutive Series ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Loss Of Contact ◽  
Alcohol Dependent

AbstractObjective: To discover whether (as predicted in the literature) loss of contact with caring agencies is related to age, substance dependence, a history of law-breaking, or a diagnosis of schizophrenia.Method: A consecutive series of 71 homeless people with mental disorders was recruited over a period of 18 months. The subjects were new referrals to psychiatrists working in a primary health care clinic for the homeless. The subjects were then followed up for a further 18 months (maximum follow up time 36 months, minimum follow up time 18 months) to determine duration of contact with Oxford services for helping the homeless (survival time).Results: Survival analyses indicated that early loss of contact with Oxford services for helping the homeless was strongly predicted by substance (mainly alcohol) dependence in the month before first attendance at the clinic (generalised Wilcoxon 15.8, p<0.001). Homeless people with mental disorders who are also alcohol dependent, were five times more likely to lose contact with caring agencies than homeless people with mental disorders who were not alcohol dependent (hazard ratio 5.05,95% confidence limits 14.9-3.0).Conclusions: Amongst homeless people with mental disorder, there appears to be an association between substance (mainly alcohol) dependence and loss of contact with caring agencies. This may be because homeless people with a dual diagnosis of mental disorder and substance dependence, tend to be more mobile than those who are not substance dependent.

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