Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T15:50:10.144Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of religion on suicide attempts in outpatients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorders compared with inpatients with non-psychotic disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Philippe Huguelet ,
Sylvia Mohr ,
Valérie Jung ,
Christiane Gillieron ,
Pierre-Yves Brandt  and
Laurence Borras
Philippe Huguelet*
Affiliation:
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Département de Psychiatrie, Service de Psychiatrie Adulte, Secteur 1 - Eaux-Vives, Rue du 31-Décembre 36, CH-1207Geneve, Switzerland
Sylvia Mohr
Affiliation:
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Département de Psychiatrie, Service de Psychiatrie Adulte, Secteur 1 - Eaux-Vives, Rue du 31-Décembre 36, CH-1207Geneve, Switzerland
Valérie Jung
Affiliation:
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Département de Psychiatrie, Service de Psychiatrie Adulte, Secteur 1 - Eaux-Vives, Rue du 31-Décembre 36, CH-1207Geneve, Switzerland
Christiane Gillieron
Affiliation:
Geneva University, Psychology and Education Sciences Faculty, Boulevard du Pont d'Arve 40, CH-1211Genève 4, Switzerland
Pierre-Yves Brandt
Affiliation:
Lausanne University, Faculty of Theology, Anthropole, CH-1015Lausanne, Switzerland
Laurence Borras
Affiliation:
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève, Département de Psychiatrie, Service de Psychiatrie Adulte, Secteur 1 - Eaux-Vives, Rue du 31-Décembre 36, CH-1207Geneve, Switzerland
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +41 22 372 31 20; fax: +41 22 372 31 05. E-mail address:[email protected] (P. Huguelet).
Get access

Abstract

Little is known of the relations between psychosis, religion and suicide. One hundred and fifteen outpatients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder and 30 inpatients without psychotic symptoms were studied using a semi-structured interview assessing religiousness/spirituality. Their past suicide attempts were examined. Additionally, they were asked about the role (protective or incentive) of religion in their decision to commit suicide. Forty-three percent of the patients with psychosis had previously attempted suicide. Religiousness was not associated with the rate of patients who attempted suicide. Twenty-five percent of all subjects acknowledged a protective role of religion, mostly through ethical condemnation of suicide and religious coping. One out of ten patients reported an incentive role of religion, not only due to negatively connotated issues but also to the hope for something better after death. There were no differences between groups (i.e. psychotic vs. non-psychotic patients). Religion may play a specific role in the decisions patients make about suicide, both in psychotic and non-psychotic patients. This role may be protective, a finding particularly important for patients with psychosis who are known to be at high risk of severe suicide attempts. Interventions aiming to lower the number of suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia should take these data into account.

Keywords

SchizophreniaReligionSpiritualitySuicide
Type
Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorder
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , April 2007 , pp. 188 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed.Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.Google Scholar
Baca-Garcia, E.Perez-Rodriguez, M.M.Diaz Sastre, C.Saiz-Ruiz, J.de Leon, J.Suicidal behavior in schizophrenia and depression: a comparison. Schizophr Res 2005;75:77–81.10.1016/j.schres.2004.08.028CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Breier, A.Astrachan, B.M.Characterization of schizophrenic patients who commit suicide. Am J Psychiatry 1984;141:206–209.Google ScholarPubMed
Dervic, K.Oquendo, M.A.Grunebaum, M.F.Ellis, S.Burke, A.K.Mann, J.J.Religious affiliation and suicide attempt. Am J Psychiatry 2004;161:2303–2308.10.1176/appi.ajp.161.12.2303CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fetzer Institute. Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research. Michigan: US Department of Health and Human Services; 1999.Google Scholar
Hawton, K.Sutton, L.Haw, C.Sinclair, J.Deeks, J.J.Schizophrenia and suicide: systematic review of risk factors. Br J Psychiatry 2005;187:9–20.10.1192/bjp.187.1.9CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, W.H.Sun, C.M.Lee, C.T.Peng, S.L.Lin, S.K.Shen, W.W.A clinical study of schizophrenic suicides 42 cases in Taiwan. Schizophr Res 1991;5:43–50.10.1016/0920-9964(91)90052-SCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huber, S.Zentralität und Inhalt. Eine Synthese der Messmodelle von Allport und Glock. In: Zwingmann, C.Moosbrugger, H. editors. Religiosität: Messverfahren und Studien zu Gesundheit und Lebensbewältigung. Neue Beiträge zur Religionspsychologie. Münster: Waxmann; 2004. p. 79–105.Google Scholar
Huguelet, P.Mohr, S.Borras, L.Gilliéron, C.Brandt, P.Y.Spirituality and religious practices in outpatients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorders and their clinicians. Psychiatr Serv 2006;57:366–372.10.1176/appi.ps.57.3.366CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jarbin, H.Von Knorring, A.L.Suicide and suicide attempts in adolescent-onset psychotic disorder. Nordic J Psychiatry 2004;58:115–123.10.1080/08039480410005611CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kay, S.R.Fiszbein, A.Opler, L.A.Positive and negative syndrome scale. USA: Multi-Health Systems Inc.; 1992.Google Scholar
Kirov, G.Kemp, R.Kirof, K.Davis, A.S.Religious faith after psychotic illness. Psychopathology 1998;31:234–245.10.1159/000029045CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koenig, H.G.Larson, D.Religion and mental health: evidence for an association. Int Rev Psychiatry 2001;13:67–78.10.1080/09540260124661CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koenig, H.G.Parkerson, G.R.Meador, K.G.Religion index for psychiatric research. Am J Psychiatry 1997;154:885–886.Google ScholarPubMed
Koenig, H.G.Spirituality in patient care. Why, how, when, and what. Philadelphia and London: Templeton Foundation Press; 2002.Google Scholar
Koenig, H.G.Cohen, H.J.Blazer, D.G.Piper, C.Meador, K.G.Shelp, F.et al.Religious coping and depression among elderly, hospitalized medically ill men. Am J Psychiatry 1992;149:1693–1700.Google ScholarPubMed
Kroll, J.Sheehan, W.Religious beliefs and practices among 52 psychiatric inpatients in Minnesota. Am J Psychiatry 1989;146:67–72.Google ScholarPubMed
Larson, D.B.Greenwold, M.Weaver, A.McCulloug, M.E.Psychiatry and religion. The convergence of mind and spirit. Washington: Boehlein; 2000.Google Scholar
Mann, J.J.Apter, A.Bertolote, J.Beautrais, A.Currier, D.Haas, A.et al.Suicide prevention strategies: a systematic review. JAMA 2005;294:2064–2074.10.1001/jama.294.16.2064CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mohr, S.Brandt, P.-Y.Borras, L.Gillièron, C.Huguelet, P.Toward an integration of religiousness and spirituality into the psychosocial dimension of schizophrenia. Am J Psychiatry, in press.Google Scholar
Mohr, S.Gillièron, C.Borras, L.Brandt, P.-Y.Huguelet, P.The assessment of spirituality and religiousness in schizophrenia. J Nerv Ment Dis, in press.Google Scholar
Mohr, S.Huguelet, P.The relationship between schizophrenia and religion and its implications for care. Swiss Med Wkly 2004;34:369–376.Google Scholar
National Institute of Mental Health CGI clinical global impressions. ECD-EU assessment for psychopharmacology. Rockville, MD: National Institute of Mental Health; 1976.Google Scholar
Neeleman, J.Lewis, G.Religious identity and comfort beliefs in three groups of psychiatric patients and a group of medical controls. Int J Soc Psychiatry 1994;40:124–134.10.1177/002076409404000204CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neeleman, J.Lewis, G.Suicide, religion, and socioeconomic conditions. An ecological study in 26 countries. J Epidemiol Community Health 1990;1999(53):204–210.Google Scholar
Palmer, B.A.Pankratz, V.S.Bostwick, J.M.The lifetime risk of suicide in schizophrenia: a reexamination. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005;62:247–253.10.1001/archpsyc.62.3.247CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pargament, K.Brant, C.Religion and coping. In: Koenig, H. editors. Handbook of religion and mental health. San Diego: Academic Press; 1998. p. 111–128.10.1016/B978-012417645-4/50075-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pargament, K.I.Koenig, H.G.Perez, L.M.The many methods of religious coping: development and initial validation of the RCOPE. J Clin Psychol 2000;56:519–543.10.1002/(SICI)1097-4679(200004)56:4<519::AID-JCLP6>3.0.CO;2-13.0.CO;2-1>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radomsky, E.D.Haas, G.L.Mann, J.J.Sweeney, J.A.Suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1999;156:1590–1595.10.1176/ajp.156.10.1590CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sheehan, D.V.Lecubrier, Y.Sheehan, K.H.Amorim, P.Janavs, J.Weiller, E.et al.The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): the development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. J Clin Psychiatry 1998;59:22–33.Google ScholarPubMed
Stack, S.Lester, D.The effect of religion on suicide ideation. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1991;26:168–170.Google ScholarPubMed
Tepper, L.Rogers, S.A.Coleman, E.M.Malony, H.N.The prevalence of religious coping among persons with persistent mental illness. Psychiatr Serv 2001;52:660–665.10.1176/appi.ps.52.5.660CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wagner, L.C.King, M.Existential needs of people with psychotic disorders in Porto Alegre Brazil. Br J Psychiatry 2005;186:141–145.10.1192/bjp.186.2.141CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, D.R.Larson, D.B.Buckler, R.E.Heckmann, R.C.Pyle, C.M.Religion and psychological distress in a community sample. Soc Sci Med 1991;32:1257–1262.10.1016/0277-9536(91)90040-JCrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (WHO) Classification statistique internationale des maladies et des problèmes de santé connexes. Genève: Organisation Mondiale de la Santé; 1993.Google Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.