Risk Factors for Suicide and Other Deaths Following Hospital Treated Self-Poisoning in Australia

The risk factors for suicide, premature death, & all-cause death were analyzed in a representative population of hospital-treated deliberate self-poisoning patients in Australia. There were 4105 subjects of whom 228 died, 122 by premature death & 58 by suicide. The probability of suicide after 10 years of follow-up was 2%. The adjusted hazard ratios for suicide were disorders diagnosed in childhood, 5.28; male gender, 4.25; discharge to involuntary psychiatric hospital admission, 3.20; & increasing age, 1.02. Men & women showed different patterns of multivariate risks. The standarized suicide mortality ratio for men was 20.55 and 22.95 for women. (32 refs.)