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Prevalence of reported suicidal behaviour in the general population and mental health-care staff

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2000

INGA-LILL RAMBERG  and
DANUTA WASSERMAN
INGA-LILL RAMBERG
Affiliation:
National Swedish Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-health at the National Institute for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences/Karolinska Institute and Stockholm County Council, WHO Collaborating Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
DANUTA WASSERMAN
Affiliation:
National Swedish Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-health at the National Institute for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences/Karolinska Institute and Stockholm County Council, WHO Collaborating Centre, Stockholm, Sweden
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Abstract

Background. Higher rates of suicidal behaviour have been reported among staff in mental health care than in the general population. However, no studies of these two groups have been carried out simultaneously, using the same methods. This study aims to investigate whether they differ in terms of age- and sex-standardized prevalence of suicidal behaviour.

Methods. Identical questions about suicidal behaviour were addressed in the same year to a random sample of the general population and to mental health-care staff in Stockholm. Life weariness among the latter was also investigated.

Results. Age- and sex-standardized past year prevalences of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts were found to be similar among mental health-care staff and the general population. Lifetime prevalence of both suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts was significantly higher among mental health-care staff than among the general population. Psychologists/social workers have a higher probability of: lifetime thoughts of life is not worth living; death wishes; and, suicidal thoughts, than nurses/assistant nurses.

Conclusions. Reports on lifetime prevalence of suicidal behaviour may be biased in populations that are not reminded of these problems in everyday life. Data on past year prevalence of suicidal behaviour show clearly the similarity between the general population and the mental health-care staff.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 30 , Issue 5 , September 2000 , pp. 1189 - 1196
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press

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