Features favoring parasomnia-related pseudo-suicide:
(1) history of complex sleepwalking
(2) history of previous episodes of self-harm associated with sleep
(3) sleep deprivation or other stressor prior to the event
(4) features of the event out of character (going outside into the cold while wearing underwear, etc)
(5) occurrence of event after the person has been asleep
Features favoring true suicide:
(1) presence of a suicide note (specific but insensitive)
(2) history of recent depression or despondency
(3) absence of present or future plans
(4) current drug and/or alcohol abuse (including positive drug screen)
Others conditions that can cause pseudo-suicide:
(1) seizure disorder
(2) psychogenic dissociative state
(3) medication side-effect
