P-427 - Suicidal migrants in modena

Abstract

Introduction and aims: Self-harm behaviours (SHB), including attempted suicide, and completed suicide (CS) have been reported to be common among migrants. The objective of this study is to provide a retrospective analysis of migrants that committed SHB and CS, in relation to their psychiatric history and care, in the same catchment area and in the same period. Methods: Data on migrants referred to psychiatric consultation from the A&E department for SHB during 2010 and 2011 at the Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry Service in Modena were compared to data on migrants that committed CS recorded in the database of Modena Forensic Medicine Service. Results: Of the 297 total SHB referred to psychiatric consultation in the two years, 102 were of migrants (34.3%), mainly women (54.8%) with a mean age of 31.4 years (SD = 12.2). In the same period, CS among migrants were instead only 5.7% of total (122), all male (100%), with a mean age of 36.3 years (SD = 10.9). The majority (70.2%) of SHB migrants were not under psychiatric care at the moment of SHB, but 39.3% had a positive psychiatric history. After psychiatric referral, 26.8% were admitted to the psychiatric ward. SHB were more than one in the two-year period for 13.6% migrant patients. Hanging was the most frequent method for CS (71.4%), whereas drug ingestions were for SHB (42.9%). Conclusions: Data from our analysis confirm general epidemiologic features of suicide as well as the finding of SHB being particularly common among migrants.