People with schizophrenia are at increased risk of violence, suicide and premature death. These conclusions are the results of a study carried out in Sweden by British researchers at the University of Oxford and published by the journal The Lancet Psychiatry. “However, the researchers say, these results need to be clarified as a basis for interventions targeted at the population.”
Dr Seena Fazel’s team analyzed a cohort of 24,297 schizophrenic patients followed between 1972 and 2009. For the first time, researchers compared the statistics of people suffering from schizophrenia with the general population and with their siblings in order to take better account of the patient’s family environment.
An increase in 38 years
Result: in the five years following the diagnosis, 10.7% of patients and 2.7% of patients were convicted of an act of violence. This is four times more than their non-sick siblings and seven times more than the general population. One in 50 patients commits an act of suicide and all are eight times more likely to die prematurely compared to the general population.
Globally, the risks of premature death, suicide and acts of violence have increased among schizophrenics over the past 38 years. But by analyzing the risk factors of patients, the researchers noticed that, with regard to violence and premature death, they are the same as for the general population: drugs, crime, self-harm … They believe that ‘ there is still work to be done to develop new treatments and limit the risks in patients.
