بررسي همه گيرشناسي خودكشي در مراجعان به بخش اتفاقات روانپزشكي

ASSESSMENT OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SUICIDE AMONG THE PATIENTS ADMITTED IN THE PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY WARD

Background and Objectives: There has not been adequate research on the epidemiology of attempted suicides in Iran. Thus, we decided to investigate the epidemiological data concerning suicide among patients who were admitted in the psychiatric emergency ward of Ebnecina hospital (Pars Province, Shiraz) for a period of one year (1997- 1998). Materials and Methods: Among 697 patients hospitalized in emergency wards , 80 were found to have committed suicide due to suicidal thoughts and attempts. They were studied by clinical interview and demographic questionnaire. Results: Of the 697patients who were hospitalized, 80 (5%) were admitted with respect to suicide. Among them 48 (60%) were males and 32 (40%) were females, the mean age of them being 28.8 years. Of the above patients 43 (53.8%) were single and 34 (42.5%) married, only 3 (3.7%) were divorced or widow. Most of them had low educational level and low socioeconomic position, and lived in urban areas. The majority of them gave history of previous suicidal attempts (75%), mental disorders (60%) and a significant number of them also had physical illness. The most common suicidal causes were hopelessness (45%) and in most of the cases drugs and poisons were the most important means of suicide (41.3%). Depression was the most dominant psychiatric disorder in population of our study (63.8%). Conclusion:It is suggested that the findings of this research can be applied efficiently in the prospective, preventive and therapeutic programs.