Characteristics of attempted suicide patients admitted in Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital from January 2014 to September 2018

Abstract

Introduction: Attempted suicide is a major public health problem with a prevalence rate of approximately 2.7% worldwide. There is an increasing trend of attempted suicide in Bhutan. It is a strong clinical predictor of eventual suicide deaths and results in significant use of health care resources. This study aimed to describe the characteristics of attempted suicide patients admitted in Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital from January 2014 to September 2018. Methods: This descriptive record review analyzed 72 clinical records of attempted suicide patients. The characteristics of attempted suicides are described using detailed illness history of patients who were admitted in the psychiatric and medical wards. Results: The result showed a higher rate of attempted suicide in females (56.9 %) and highest in the age range between 21 and 30 years. The percentage of patients from the western region of the country was higher (48.6%). The median duration of hospital stay was 5 days (range 1-74). There was a slightly higher number of attempted suicide admissions in the cold season. Pre-existing mental health disorders, mostly depressive disorder, was the major underlying cause of attempted suicide (55.5%). The predominant method used for attempted suicide was self-poisoning on medication (76.3%) with the common medicine being Paracetamol. Conclusions: To prevent attempted suicide and eventual suicide, there is a need to strengthen early detection of depressive illnesses and regulate the accessibility of over-the-counter drugs like Paracetamol.

Suicide literacy in nurses: A cross‐sectional study

“…It is felt that this result needs to be clarified in future studies. In a study by Letho et al (2017), a negative correlation was found between nurses' knowledge levels concerning suicide and their age. Also in this study, it was seen that there was no correlation between nurses' levels of knowledge concerning suicide and their gender.…”

“…In our study, the mean LOSS scores of nurses who had completed a master's degree were higher, although this was not statistically significant. Similarly, it was seen in the literature that as nurses' education levels rose, their levels of knowledge concerning suicide also rose (Letho et al, 2017;Sun et al, 2007). This may derive from nurses graduating from master's programs being more research oriented and from their having taken more classes on psychiatric nursing (Finkelman & Kenner, 2021).…”

“…According to this, it may be concluded that suicide literacy is reflected positively in the care of patients at risk of suicide. In a study by Letho et al (2017), it was found that nurses' mean level of knowledge on suicide was 14.31 ± 2.88. In our study, the nurses' mean score for the rate of suicide literacy was 11.08 ± 3.92.…”

“…They may have been directed to seeking information on suicide in order to cope with this pain. This may increase nurses’ awareness of suicide and help the provision of better quality care for patients (Letho et al, 2017). The reason why attempted suicides in the nurses’ families was a significant predictor of suicide literacy may be that suicide attempts are more compelling and observable than other variables.…”

“…In a study by Silva et al (2016), it was found that the level of knowledge of health workers concerning suicide was 5.64 ± 1.53 out of nine points. In another study, nurses’ levels of knowledge concerning suicide were determined to have a mean score of 14.31 ± 2.88 (Letho et al, 2017). Also, studies have shown that nurses’ suicide knowledge levels are affected by such factors as age (Letho et al, 2017), education level (Sun et al, 2007), experience with patients at risk of suicide (Silva et al, 2016) and training in intervention on patients at risk of suicide (Boukouvalas et al, 2020).…”