Document Detail


Prodromal psychosis as an etiology of suicide: a case report and review of the literature.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18725779     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Suicides without apparent antecedent causes present great difficulties for medical examiners and families alike. A case is presented of a young male suicide victim whose antemortem course did not demonstrate apparent psychopathology to either his family or fellow students. A journal written by the decedent was found, however, which revealed extensive ruminations on death, depressive symptomatology, and evidence of possible delusions, and hallucinations. We opine that this represents the prodrome of a psychotic process, possibly schizophrenia, and the decedent's suicide was a response to his awareness of his deteriorating mental status. The prodrome of schizophrenia is a well-described entity that manifests as a decline in social and occupational functioning, along with increasingly bizarre behavior. Prodromal psychosis could represent an explanation for some cases of suicide seemingly without causation.
Authors:
Douglas Knittel; Gary Munn; Edward Simmer
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Case Reports; Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review    
Journal Detail:
Title:  The American journal of forensic medicine and pathology     Volume:  29     ISSN:  1533-404X     ISO Abbreviation:  Am J Forensic Med Pathol     Publication Date:  2008 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-08-26     Completed Date:  2008-10-21     Revised Date:  2011-02-02    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8108948     Medline TA:  Am J Forensic Med Pathol     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  238-41     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia 23708-2497, USA.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Disease Progression
Forensic Psychiatry
Humans
Male
Schizophrenic Psychology*
Suicide*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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