[A report on attempted suicide cases involving patients accepted by public health care institutions].

We investigated attempted suicide cases, both successful and failed involving patients, accepted by public health care institutions in Shiga Prefecture, whose population is about 1. 4 million, from the 12th January 2010 to 14th February 2010. Prefectural emergency hospitals, fire stations, and pathologists cooperated in the investigation, and the cases were reported with the age and sex as well as the means and results of the attempts. How these institutions cooperated in the cases was also reported. A total number of 104 people attempted suicide, in which 40 people (38.5%) succeeded, 54 people (51.9%) failed, and the outcome was unknown in 10 people (9.6%). Forty-one people (39.4%) were in their 30s, being the most common age group. Successful suicides were most prominent among elderly males, and failed attempts were most prominent among young females. Hanging and poisonous gassing were the common means of suicide among the successful cases, and overdose, drinking, and wrist -cutting were the common means among the failed attempts. Sixty-four people (61.5%) were admitted to public emergency hospitals, 51 people (49.0%) were rescued by fire workers, and 34 people (32.7%) were sent for autopsy following police reports on fatal cases as suicide. Successful suicides and males were mostly sent for pathological examination without any coordinated care from different medical institutions, whereas, failed cases and females were often taken care of by several institutions. Five people (4.8%) were referred for psychiatric help. Suicide intervention needs to take account of differences in the sex, age, means, and other characteristics of those who attempt suicide. Each institution plays an important role, and they need to cooperate in order to establish an effective intervention.