Suicidal Behaviour in Depressive Illness

Abstract

Among factors held to be causally related to suicide are: (i) social isolation (1); (ii) social degeneration (2); (iii) parental deprivation (3, 4, 5). If these factors are aetiologically related to suicide, they should present prominently in that minority of depressive patients who attempt suicide. On the other hand, these factors should be found less frequently in non-suicidal depressive patients. The hypothesis that a factor is causally related will not be supported if it is found to occur as frequently among non-suicidal depressive patients as among those showing both depression and suicidal behaviour.