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Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) among psychiatric emergency patients at the emergency unit of a university hospital in Belgium (UZ Leuven) . A longitudinal approach with data from 2003-2015

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

L. Van Eldere ,
S. Claes ,
W. Voorspoels ,
C. Yurdadon ,
M. Sabbe  and
R. Bruffaerts
L. Van Eldere*
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Health Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium UPC KU Leuven, Quality And Operational Policy, Kortenberg, Belgium
S. Claes
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Mind- Body Research, Leuven, Belgium
W. Voorspoels
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Health Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
C. Yurdadon
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Health Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
M. Sabbe
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Health And Primary Care, Leuven, Belgium
R. Bruffaerts
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Public Health Psychiatry, Leuven, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) are a serious public health problem. Suicide prevention programs have been established over the years but many people who are suicidal do not seek treatment, and when they do they will end up in low-threshold sectors such as the Emergency Department in general hospitals. Previous studies about STB are mostly narrative, rather than a date-driven approach and limited in sample size.

Objectives

The main goal of this study is to describe the prevalence and evolution of STB (ideation, plan or attempt) of the psychiatric patient referred to the Emergency Department of the University Hospital Gasthuisberg (Leuven, Belgium) over a 12 year period.

Methods

During a 12 year period (2003-2015), all patients with a psychiatric referral to the Psychiatric Emergency Room (PER) of the University Hospital Gasthuisberg (Leuven, Belgium) were included (N˜25.000). We use descriptive statistics to summarize the data set, focusing on STB in terms of raw numbers, symptoms at referral, mental disorders and demographic characteristics.

Results

Around 1/9 patients presents with suicide attempt; another 1/5 with suicidal thoughts. STB accounts for 35% of psychiatric primary complaints at the PER. Women were more likely to present with STB. The proportion of STB referrals remains stable over the years.

Conclusions

Despite several reforms in mental health care, the PER remains a major entry point into mental healthcare for large proportions of STB patients.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

SuicideSuicidal thoughts and behaviorsEmergency Department
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S845
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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