Characteristics of the Early Post-suicidal Period after Repeat Suicide Attempts in Patients with Mental Disorders

Abstract

Study Objective: To study characteristics of the early post-suicidal period after suicide attempts in patients with mental disorders. Study Design: This was a retrospective clinical study. Materials and Methods: The study looked at the characteristics of the early post-suicidal period after suicide attempts in a group of 260 subjects with mental disorders (schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, organic, affective, neurotic, addictive, or personality disorders, or intellectual disability). The mean age of patients who attempted suicide was 43.5 ± 17.7 years. The numbers of men and women were almost equal: 134 (51.5%) and 126 (48.5%), respectively (p>0.05). The mean duration of hospitalization was 42.7 ± 43.2 bed-days. The study methods included clinical examinations, psychopathological assessments, psychometrics, and statistical-mathematical methods. Study Results: The authors identified the following main types of early post-suicidal period: the critical type (n = 73, 28.1%) and denial of a suicide attempt (n = 55, 21.2%) were the most common and the analytical type (n = 23, 8.8%) was the least common. The study determined that 77 (29.6%) psychiatric inpatients with a history of attempting suicide made another attempt. The most common methods of attempted suicide in this group of patients included poisoning with medications (n = 41, 53.2%) and self-cutting (n = 26, 33.8%), and 40.3% were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the repeat suicide attempt. Among the patients who made a repeat suicide attempt, manipulative and suicide-fixated types of post-suicidal period were observed significantly more often. Patients with mental disorders who made repeat suicide attempts showed poor social adjustment in their professional life and overall attitude toward life. Conclusion: The characteristics of the post-suicidal period identified in patients with mental disorders who have made a repeat suicide attempt should be taken into consideration when planning and providing secondary preventive mental healthcare services. Further investigation of these characteristics in various groups of patients, combined with a search for predictive factors for repeat suicide attempts, as well as evaluation of the effectiveness of previously provided preventive mental health care, will make it possible to better tailor these services and reduce the overall risk of suicidal behavior in people with mental disorders. Keywords: suicide, repeat suicide attempt, type of post-suicidal period, mental disorder, social adjustment.