Factors associated with suicide methods among non-fatal suicide attempters in a general hospital

Background: Suicide is a major public health concern. A number of socio-demographic and clinical variables interplay in determining the chosen method and hence influence the outcome of suicidal behavior. Materials and Methods: Two hundred subjects fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited in the study. The socio-demographic details were recorded in the semi structured proforma. Detailed assessment of Psychiatric morbidity and attempted suicide was done by clinical interview and validated by M.I.N.I.-Plus 5.0 and Beck Suicide Intent Scale. Data was analyzed using SAS Version 9.2 & SPSS Version 17.0. Results: In the present study, the three most common method of attempting suicide was by poison consumption (50.5%), followed by drug overdose (35%) and hanging (9.5%). Most of the study participants who attempted suicide by poison consumption and drug overdose were in the age group of 11-40 years (P= 0.010 and P=0.050) and female gender had the highest risk of attempting suicide by poison consumption (P=0.005). Most of the subjects in the drug overdose group belonged to urban domicile (P=0.023). Majority of the attempters were first time attempters with low intentionality, low lethality and high impulsivity. Psychosocial factors played an important precipitating role and the most common psychiatric morbidity was adjustment disorder followed by MDD. The influence of alcohol prior to the attempt was significant in the poison consumption group (P=0.040). Conclusions: There are various demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors that play a determinantal role in the choice of method in non-fatal suicide attempters and understanding the interplay of these factors can help devising better preventive strategies in the future