A Descriptive Analysis of 10,000 Suicide Attempters in United States Managed Care Plans, 1998-2005

This study examined annual rates of suicide attempts among managed care enrollees & describes their demographics, diagnoses, & prior treatments. A retrospective case series was compiled from the PharMetrics Integrated Outcomes Database, representing 47 million covered lives from 1998-2005. Suicide attempts were identified from paid claims data. Among 10,914 attempters, subjects with one suicide attempt increased from .04% in 1998 to .13% in 2005. Most were female, adult, & lived in the midwest. The most frequent age group was 10-19 years. Over 50% had a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. 53% were receiving antidepressants. (37 refs.) JA