Homeless shelter contacts and suicide risk: a critical window for intervention

Homelessness has long been associated with an elevated risk of suicide and self-harm, but previous studies have largely been restricted to selected patient groups, such as those presenting to hospital following self-harm. A new nationwide, population-based study by Sandra F Nilsson and colleagues1 contributes substantially to the existing body of knowledge on the association between homelessness and suicidal behaviour. Applying a strong registry-based, cohort study design, the authors show markedly elevated risks of both suicide and self-harm among people experiencing homelessness in Denmark compared with the general population.