Suicide Attempts from Height and Injury Patterns: An Analysis of 64 Cases

Abstract

Falls from height are a common cause of death and disability. A majority of free falls occur accidentally and only a minority result from suicidal behaviour. Adolescents in many countries show high rates of suicide attempts and their repetition is a common feature. We describe the demographic characteristics of these patients, their psychiatric diagnosis at the time of the attempt and the injury patterns. We present 64 patients who sustained injuries as a result of a fall from height. They were divided into those without mental disorders (n = 32, group I) and those with mental disorders (n = 32, group II). The mean height from which the fall occurred was 5.4 m (range, 3-25 m). The mean injury severity score was 19 (range, 6-58) for all fall victims. Upper extremity fractures were found in 37 patients, while pelvic and lower extremity fractures were found in 198 cases. Spinal fractures were noted in 32 patients. Head injuries were revealed by CT scan in 16 patients. Patients following a suicidal high fall mostly had lower limb fractures, pelvis fractures, spinal fractures and head injuries.

Comments on the Article “Orthopedic Patients with Mental Disorder: Literature Review on Preoperative and Postoperative Precautions”: To the Editor

“…While the article by Yoo et al 1) states that most suicide attempt survivors primarily had a prior diagnosis of depression, other studies have noted that schizophrenia could be the predominant illness. 4 5 6) In another study, prior diagnosis of a personality disorder was shown to be more notable than depression in intentional fallers. 7) Therefore, it cannot be concluded that a specific mental illness will predict that one will seek to intentionally fall.…”