PSYCHIATRIC MORBIDITY IN PATIENTS OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE ADMITTED IN A RURAL AREA HOSPITAL OF

World Health Organization estimates about one million people die of suicide each year. Approximately one suicide occurs every minute, and a suicidal attempt every 3 seconds In India the rate of suicide is 12 per lakh and more than 100,000 people die of suicide every year. Aims and Objectives: To study the demographic profiles and other related details of attempted suicides in rural area. To investigate for the presence of any physical or psychiatric morbidity in the subjects. To assess increase in psychosocial stress, in any specific area, preceding the event Material and methods: Fifty patients who have survived the attempt and as defined by Dorpat and Boswell (1963) and Morgan (1975) were taken up for study after taking informed consent. All the subjects were subjected to detailed psychiatric interview and are assessed on different scales. Results: In the present study, the most common Psychiatric disorders are depressive disorder 42% followed by Alcohol abuse 14 % and Anxiety disorders 8%, No psychotic disorders were noted. 68% of the subject‟s common mode of Attempt was organo-phosphorous, and 60 % of the attempts were impulsive in nature Conclusion: In a country like ours, where literacy is low and poverty is high, the biggest challenge will be to dispel the stigma and superstitions associated with mental illness and explode the myths shrouding „suicide‟