Suicide Attempts in Schizophrenia: The Role of Command Auditory Hallucinations for Suicide
Jill M. Harkavy-Friedman, David Kimhy, Elizabeth A. Nelson, David F. Venarde, Dolores Malaspina, and J. John Mann
J Clin Psychiatry 2003;64(8):871-874
© Copyright 2015 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
To view this item, select one of the options below.
-
-
Purchase This PDF for $40.00
If you are not a paid subscriber, you may purchase the PDF.
(You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
-
Subscribe
Receive immediate full-text access to JCP. You can subscribe to JCP online-only ($86) or print + online ($156 individual).
With your subscription, receive a free PDF collection of the NCDEU Festschrift articles. Hurry! This offer ends December 31, 2011.
-
-
Activate
If you are a paid subscriber to JCP and do not yet have a username and password, activate your subscription now.
-
Sign in
As a paid subscriber who has activated your subscription, you have access to the HTML and PDF versions of this item.
-
Click here to login.
-
Did you forget your password?
Still can't log in? Contact the Circulation Department at 1-800-489-1001 x4 or send email
Background: We examined the presence of command
auditory hallucinations for suicide (CAHS) in a sample of
individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We
examined the relationship between CAHS and demographic and
clinical variables. We also investigated the relationship between
CAHS and suicide attempts.
Method: 100 individuals with DSM-IV
schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder hospitalized on an
inpatient research unit participated. Information was gathered
using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies and the
Harkavy Asnis Suicide Scale. Data were gathered from 1995 to
2001.
Results: CAHS were frequent in this sample
(22%), as were suicide attempts (33%). Eight percent of the
entire sample (36% of those who experienced CAHS) made at least 1
suicide attempt in response to the hallucinations. The presence
of CAHS was not related to demographic or clinical measures
assessed. The frequency of CAHS was not statistically different
for suicide attempters (30%) and nonattempters (18%). However,
80% (8/10) of attempters with CAHS reported at least 1 attempt in
response to CAHS. Three of 6 repeat attempters who made at least
1 suicide attempt in response to CAHS also made other attempts
that were not in response to CAHS. The presence of CAHS was not
associated with a history of depression or substance
abuse/dependence.
Conclusion: The presence of CAHS does not
directly predict suicide attempts. However, individuals who are
already at risk for suicidal behavior (e.g., past attempters) may
be at increased risk for a suicide attempt when experiencing
CAHS.