Evaluation of Patients Admitted to Emergency Department Due to Drug-Related Suicide Attempt

Year 2020, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 11 - 14, 24.03.2020

Gülşah Çıkrıkçı Işık , Tuba Şafak , Hikmet Sencanlar Cetiner , Yunsur Çevik

Abstract

Introductıon: Suicide is the self-injurious behavior that is intended to kill oneself and it is called as suicide attempt if not resulted with death. Although the ranking varies by countries, the drug-related suicide attempt is always in the top three methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the data of the patients admitted to emergency department (ED) due to drug-related suicide attempt.
Material-Methods: This is a retrospective, cross sectional, observational, single centered study that was conducted in a research hospital. Patients over 18 years of age admitted to ED with a drug-related suicide attempt between 01.01.2019 and 31.12.2019 were included. Age, gender, nationality, admission complaints, presence of psychiatric illness and medication usage history, drugs used for suicidal intervention, follow-up duration at ED, patient outcome, psychiatric consultation status at ED were checked.
Results: A total of 330 patients were included. Three fourth (74.8%) of the patients were female and median age was 31 (IQR 23 – 38). Ten (3%) patient were refugees. Only 51 (15.5%) of patients had a known history of psychiatric illness. Most commonly used drugs for suicidal intervention were paracetamol, NSAIDs (Non Steroid Anti-inflammatory Drugs), antibiotics and antidepressants. Suicide attempt with antipsychotic and antidepressant drugs were significantly higher at patients with positive psychiatric illness history. Median follow-up duration at ED was 375 min (IQR 221 - 642) and most of the patients (81.7%) were discharged. Number of patients consulted with psychiatrist was only 63 (19.1%).
Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that being female, young, being a migrant, having a psychiatric illness and being in the warmer months of the year were related with the increased suicide attempts. Parasetamol, NSAID and antibiotics were most commonly used drugs and suicide attempt with antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs were significantly higher in the presence of psychiatric illness history. Most of the time the clinical course of drug-related suicide attempt cases were benign and they were discharged after follow-up at ED. Frequency of consultation with a psychiatrist was very low. Suicide is a public health problem and it is estimated that an ED admission related to self-injury is the highest risk factor for a future completed suicide. Therefore all patients admitted to ED due to suicide attempt must be consulted with the psychiatrist for further evaluation in terms of risk of future suicidal behavior and implementation of targeted treatment approaches.

Keywords

Suicide, drug-related, toxicity

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