Contact of Mental and Nonmental Health Care Providers Prior to Suicide in Taiwan: a Population-Based Study

This nation wide, population-based study examined the distribution & patterns of health care service use among suicide victims in Taiwan. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using linked population-based data to determine the proportion of health care service use among suicide victims aged 15 years & older within the 1-year & 1-month period prior to their deaths. Among the 19426 subjects in the sample, 83.1% had used nonmental health care services within the 1-year period prior to their death, while only 22.2% had used mental health care services. Men, & people aged 55 years & older, were less likely to have had any contact with mental health care professionals prior to their deaths. (29 refs.)