Aida Kunigėlienė, Virginija Adomaitienė, Giedrė Jonušienė, Mantas Juodakys
Abstract
Aims and objectives of the study: To collect data on sociodemographicand psychiatric anamnesis and manifestationof psychiatric disorders in suicide attempt survivors.Methodology and materials: The survey took place in Emergency and Psychiatric departments of the Hospital of Lithuanian Universityof Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics and the Psychiatric Hospital division of Republican Hospital of Kaunas from October of 2012 till September of 2013. The survey and the accompanying study were approved by Kaunas regional bioethics committee. The 150 participants of the survey were adult patients who had been admitted to the Emergency department at the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics after a suicide attempt. These patients underwent psychiatric assessment and were subsequently hospitalized in either the Psychiatric department of HLUHS Kaunas Clinics or the Psychiatric unit of Kaunas Republican Hospital due to risk of repeated suicide attempts. Patients who agreed to participate in the survey answeredquestions from the survey questionnaire during the first three days following their suicide attempt. Statistical analysis of collecteddata was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 19.Results: 150 adult suicide survivors participated in the survey of whom 59.3% (n=81) were women and 40.7% (n=69) were men. Women were more statistically significant than men (p=0.022) in the survey. Division according to age among survey participants was as follows: 18 to 24 y/o – 20.7% (n=43), 25 to 34 y/o – 21.3% (n=32), 35 to 49 y/o – 24.7% (n=37), 50 y/o and older – 25.3% (n=38). According to the percentage, the dominant group was the 18 to 24 year-olds, but differences in distribution among age groups are too small to be statistically significant. Stress-related and neurotic disorders (F40-F49) were diagnosed in 41.3% of participants,alcohol related mental and behavioural disorders (F10) – 24%, affective disorders (F30-F39) – 23.3%, personality disorders(F60-F69) – 20.0%, Schizophrenia and delusional disorders (F20-F29) – 16.7%. Comorbidity of mental disorders was found in 27.3% of participants. Conclusions: there were more women than men among patients who attempted a suicide. The majority of participants had been diagnosed with mental disorders and had attempted suicide in the past. The most popular means of attempted suicide is intentional self-poisoning with prescription medication. Stress-related and neurotic disorders was the dominant diagnosis among participants.
Keyword(s): suicidal behaviour, suicide attempt, intentional self-poisoning, mental disorder.
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2014.005
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