Suicide, violence, and schizophrenia

Schizophrenia increases the risk of both suicide and violence in individuals, although suicide remains a rare event among the mentally ill and most people with schizophrenia are not violent. However, the prevention of both types of such adverse event remains an important part of clinical psychiatry. The associations and causes of suicide and violence are complex, but research continues to cast greater light on these. This article illustrates the wide variety of both simple and longer-term interventions currently suggested, giving an explanation of when, where, and how these should be targeted. Such an understanding is core to psychiatric practice, where the principles of and necessity for risk assessment are easily misunderstood.