Impact of a specialized early psychosis treatment programme on suicide. Retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: Younger people, early in the course of psychotic illness, are at high risk of suicide. Aim: To investigate the impact of a specialized early psychosis (EP) treatment programme on risk of suicide up to 8.5 years following first contact with mental health services. Methods: A population-based, retrospective cohort study of 7760 individuals with a psychotic disorder, aged 15-29 years at first contact, ascertained from a statewide psychiatric case register. Suicides were identified by linking the psychiatric register to a coronial register of unnatural deaths. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate potential risk factors, including specialized EP treatment, for suic..