Suicide and Mental Illness

Suicide and Mental Illness
From: http://www.ontario.cmha.ca/content/about_mental_illness/suicide.asp?cID=3965
People with mood disorders are at a particularly high risk of suicide. Studies indicate that more than 90 percent of suicide victims have a diagnosable psychiatric illness, and suicide is the most common cause of death for people with schizophrenia. Both major depression and bipolar disorder account for 15 to 25 percent of all deaths by suicide in patients with severe mood disorders. According to Toronto Metro Police Mental Health Act data, the number of documented suicide attempts rose 14 percent from 1996 to 2001. Statistics Canada reports that suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in Canada.