Health care contacts before and after attempted suicide

Abstract

Objective: The prevalence and timing of contact with health care predicting and after a suicide attempt are not well known. This study systematically investigated the pattern of all health care contacts both before and after attempted suicide.

Methods: All consecutive 1,198 suicide attempters treated in hospital emergency rooms in Helsinki during a 12-month period were identified. Data were gathered on all health care contacts 1 year before and after the index attempt.

Results: The vast majority of the suicide attempters had contact with health care during the 12 months before and after the index attempt. However, half were without a treatment contact during the final 30 days before the index attempt and one-third in the 30 days following the attempt. Suicide attempters who were not referred to aftercare, did not suffer from a previously recognised major mental disorder, were male, or made non-violent attempts were less likely to be receiving treatment after the attempt.

Conclusion: Although most suicide attempters have contact with health care within the year before and after the parasuicide, far fewer actually have a treatment contact at the time of the attempt.