Study on sociodemographic profile and clinical correlates of suicide attempters in a tertiary care centre with consultation liaison psychiatry services

Introduction: Suicide is a major health problem, and the global suicide mortality rate amounts to 1.4% of all deaths worldwide. Suicidal behaviour and suicidality can be conceptualized as a continuum ranging from suicidal ideation to suicide attempts and completed suicide. Aim and Objective of the study: The aim and objective was to study the sociodemographic data, psychiatric disorder, precipitating events, and mode of attempt in suicide attempted patients referred to consultation liaison psychiatric services. Materials and Methods: All referrals to the psychiatry department, seen over a 6-month period were screened for the presence of suicide attempters. Those who fulfilled the criteria were evaluated by using semi-structured pro-forma containing sociodemographic data, precipitating events, mode of attempt, and psychiatric diagnosis by ICD-10. Results: In 6 months study period, 42 subjects were referred for attempted suicide, out of the total 360 psychiatry referrals. The prevalence of suicide attempters was 11.6% at our tertiary care hospital. Males were more than females. Among the suicide attempters, young adults (25 to 35 age group), educated, employed, married, and coming from an urban background were more represented compared to their counterparts. Around 28 % of subjects were found to have a past history of suicidal attempts and 16.7 % were having a significant family history of committed suicide/attempt. Discussion and Conclusion: The prevalence of suicide attempters was 11.6% at our tertiary care hospital. The majority of suicide attempter patients had a mental illness. So, Early identification and treatment of these disorders could have prevented associated morbidity and mortality. The most common mode of attempt was found to be poisoning and drug overdosage. So, having a clear policy on the sale and possession of lethal agents is necessary to prevent or reduce suicidal attempts. Some of the study participants reported various stressful life events as immediate reasons for the suicidal attempt. These findings may suggest the need for training programs on problem-solving skills for this group of the population. In addition, public education on healthy coping mechanisms under stress and improving communication skills of youths are also crucial to prevent the suicidal attempt.