Substance use and Male Gender as Risk Factors for Deaths and Suicide: a 5-Year Follow-Up Study After Deliberate Self-Harm

This study determined mortality by suicide & other causes of death in a cohort of suicide attempters & identified predictive factors, including contacts with healthcare after the attempt. All consecutive 1198 deliberate self-harm patients treated during a 12-month period in Helsinki were identified. By the end of the 5-year follow-up period, 171 patients had died; 57 by suicide. The age- & gender-adjusted risk for suicide among deliberate self-harm patients was 40-fold, & for death overall 10-fold, compared to the general population. Risk factors for subsequent suicide were a diagnosis of substance use disorder, male gender, & previous suicide attempts. Male gender & substance use disorders had a strong interaction for both classes of death. (35 refs.) JA