Positive and negative correlates of suicidal ideations and behaviors in the emergency department of a university hospital in Beirut: A cross-sectional comparative study.

This study aims to identify the prevalence and correlates of current suicidal ideations and past suicidal behaviors among psychiatric emergencies. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted using the Ask Suicide Screening Questions (ASQ) as a screening tool that targeted all patients presenting for a psychiatric emergency in a university hospital in Beirut during a four-month period. One hundred and three patients of all age groups have been divided into a group of patients with a positive suicidal screening (n=67, 65%), and another one with a negative suicidal screening (n=36, 35%). Suffering from a personality disorder was found to be a positive correlate of suicide screening (OR: 21.6, 95% CI: 2.6-179.0). Female gender (OR: 4.5, 95% CI: 1.6-13.2) and an elevated number of previous hospitalizations were found to be positive correlates of past suicidal attempts. These correlates should be assessed in the emergency room department (ER) to prevent any subsequent suicidal behavior.