California medicine
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Suicidal crises are best understood as late stages in the progressive breakdown of adaptational behavior in emotionally exhausted patients. The premonitory symptoms of suicide include verbal communications, suicide attempts, symptomatic actions, depression, treatment failure, excessive emotional reactions to specific disease states and panic reactions. Of persons who committed suicide, 75 per cent had seen a physician within six months. ⋯ Patients benefit from emergency psychological support and stimulation toward constructive action. Family, friends, and community agencies should be mobilized to aid the patient. For seriously suicidal patients, consultation is recommended and treatment in hospital is advisable.