This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

A Clinical Postmortem Study of Suicide in 43 Israeli Adolescent Males

Alan Apter, MD; Avi Bleich, MD; Robert A. King, MD; Shmuel Kron, MD; Avi Fluch, MD; Moshe Kotler, MD; Donald J. Cohen, MD

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1993;50(2):138-142.

Abstract
• Forty-three consecutive Israeli male suicides, 18 to 21 years of age, that occurred during compulsory military service were studied using preinduction assessment data, service records, and extensive postmortem interviews with family and peers. At preinduction, subjects, as a group, appeared above average in intelligence, physical fitness, and measures predictive of successful adaptation to military service. Active duty performance was generally satisfactory. Ascertained post mortem, 53.5% met formal criteria for major depressive disorder; most cases, however, appeared recent and reactive. Narcissistic and/or schizoid traits were common. Substance abuse was absent and antisocial personality disorder was rare (4.7%). Furthermore, in eight patients (18.6%) no Axis I diagnosis could be made; half of these also lacked any significant Axis II pathology. These findings, at partial variance with US studies, suggest a complex relationship between suicide and mental disorder. The striking failure of intensive screening and preventive measures to prevent these suicides highlights unresolved questions of etiology and intervention.

Author Affiliations
From the Israel Defense Force Medical Corps (Drs Apter, Bleich, Kron, Fluch, and Kotler); the Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn (Drs King and Cohen); the Department of Psychiatry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel (Drs Apter and Bleich); and Geha Psychiatric Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel (Dr Apter).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication April 30, 1992.

Reprint requests to Yale Child Study Center, 230 S Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT 06510-8009 (Dr King).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Innovations: Accommodations: Efforts to Support Special-Needs Soldiers Serving in the Israeli Defense Forces
Bodner et al.
Psychiatr. Serv. 2007;58:1396-1398.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Relationship Between Antidepressant Prescription Rates and Rate of Early Adolescent Suicide
Gibbons et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2006;163:1898-1904.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

National Trends in Hospitalization of Youth With Intentional Self-Inflicted Injuries
Olfson et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2005;162:1328-1335.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Low intelligence test scores in 18 year old men and risk of suicide: cohort study
Gunnell et al.
BMJ 2005;330:167.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Suicide and Serious Suicide Attempts in Youth: A Multiple-Group Comparison Study
Beautrais
Am. J. Psychiatry 2003;160:1093-1099.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Life Course Factors Associated With Suicidal Behaviors in Young People
Beautrais
American Behavioral Scientist 2003;46:1137-1156.
ABSTRACT  

An Ecological Risk-Factor Examination of Suicide Ideation and Behavior of Adolescents
Perkins and Hartless
Journal of Adolescent Research 2002;17:3-26.
ABSTRACT  

Prevention of suicide: aspirations and evidence
Gunnell and Frankel
BMJ 1994;308:1227-1233.
FULL TEXT