Suicide attempts in emergency department

Abstract

Introduction

The suicide attempt is a real challenge for the clinician who works at the emergency department in order to identify and propose an adequate care.

Aims

To estimate the prevalence of the suicide attempts, to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and to identify the predictors of recurrence.

Methods

Our cross-sectional study was conducted at the medical emergency department of the university hospital of Mahdia and lasted for 12 months. Data were collected using a questionnaire of 51 items exploring the general and clinical characteristics and providing information of the treatment.

Results

Among the 513 consultants, 90 had attempted suicide (17,5%). We found an average age of 26 years old, a sex-ratio (M/F) of 0,3, a secondary education level (53,3%), an unemployment and a single status (38,9% and 75,6%). The presence of psychiatric personal history and/or suicide attempts was found in 31,1% and 33,3% of cases. Suicide attempts were taken place in all cases at home, between 18 and midnight (43,3%), without premeditation (82,2%), in the presence of triggering factor (95,6%), during the last 3 months of the year (34,4%). In 70,2% of cases, the type of the suicide attempts was a drug intoxication. 67,8% of the suicide attempters regretted and criticized their acts.

Conclusion

A good assessment of the suicide risk determines the type of intervention that should be established and allows an adequate care.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.