Evaluation of attempted suicide in emergency departments in Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey.

AIM

Attempted suicide is one of the most important public health problems among preventable causes of mortality in the general population. Identifying risk factors for the prevention of suicide is a major public health goal. The aim of this study was to determine the annual rate of attempted suicide, related risk factors, and interventions, among referrals to emergency departments in the Sanliurfa province of southeastern Turkey.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Data were obtained from all emergency departments in the province based on the 'Suicide Attempt Registry' standardized records for the calendar year 2010. Sociodemographic characteristics, aetiology, psychiatric history, psychiatric consultations, and interventions were examined. The groups were analysed with the chi-square test; the significance level was set at <0.05.

RESULTS

The annual rate of suicide attempts was 55.39 in 100,000 for the calendar year 2010. The rate was 3.47 times higher among women than men, and in particular 4.15 times higher for the 15-24 year age group among women than in men with the highest incidence of suicide attempts. The majority of cases were referred in April and May. Medication or toxic agent ingestions comprised 90.3 % of cases. The main reason for attempts was family problems or domestic violence among women, and economic hardships among men, and rates of physical and mental problems were similar for both sexes. Only 8.8 % of cases were subsequently referred for psychiatric consultation. Among cases with a prior suicide attempt history, 44.6 % had a reported psychiatric disorder.

CONCLUSION

The results of this investigation show that strengthening of surveillance and emergency healthcare systems, enhancement of mental health literacy, and inter-sector collaboration for development of community empowerment programmes are of vital importance for prevention of attempted suicide. The low rate of psychiatric referrals for subsequent intervention represented a major gap in urgent mental health services in the region.