Most individuals are seen in outpatient medical settings prior to intentional self-harm and suicide attempts treated in a hospital setting

The objective of this quantitative retrospective study is to understand healthcare patterns prior to self-harm, which may inform prevention efforts and identify intervention sites. Medicaid claims within 30, 60, 90, and 365 days prior to hospital-treated self-harm between 11/1/2015 and 11/1/2016 in New York State (N = 7492) were examined. Numbers and proportions were calculated for all service types. Participants were predominately 15–34, female, and White. Most (97%) had prior-year services, 94% outpatient care (73% behavioral health, 90% medical), 69% emergency department (37% behavioral health, 59% medical), and 42% inpatient services (34% behavioral health, 20% medical). About 86% received services within 90 days and 80% within 60 days. Utilization was high within 30 days prior, with 69% having one or more services. Medical services were more common than behavioral health (94% versus 79% in prior year); outpatient (94%) was more common than emergency (69%) and inpatient (42%) care. Given that most patients received health services within 30 days and almost all saw providers within the year prior, the findings indicate that improved prevention efforts within the healthcare system can reduce the incidence of self-harm.