Suicide and Schizophrenia: Factors Affecting Recovery

Abstract

Suicide is a common occurrence in patients with schizophrenia, with 10% of patients committing suicide, while 30-40% attempt it. Suicide has huge biological, psychological, and social ramifications for patients who suffer from schizophrenia. These affect the recovery and outcome of the disorder once suicide has been attempted. The following chapter presents an overview of research on suicide in schizophrenia and attempts to draw on how suicide is an important factor in recovery from schizophrenia. There are multiple factors implicated in the genesis of suicide and suicide attempts in patients with schizophrenia, and the chapter looks at how these factors affect recovery in general.