Abstract
Suicide prevention efforts often depend on the willingness or ability of people to disclose current suicidal behavior. The aim of this study is to identify characteristics that are associated with non-disclosure of suicidal ideation. Data from the Dutch cross-sectional survey Health Monitor 2016 were used, resulting in 14,322 respondents (age 19+). Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the strength of the associations between demographics and health-related characteristics as independent variables, and non-disclosure of suicidal ideation as the dependent variable. The mean age of the respondents was 60 years (SD 16.7) and 45% were male. Of these adults, 5% (n = 719) reported suicidal ideation in the past year, nearly half of which (48%) did not disclose suicidal ideation. Non-disclosure was significantly associated with social loneliness (OR = 1.29). Inverse significant associations were found for age (35–49 years, OR = 0.53), poor health status (OR = 0.63), frequent suicidal ideation (OR = 0.48), and severe psychological distress (OR = 0.63). The accuracy of this model was fair (AUC = 0.73). To conclude, non-disclosure is a substantial problem in adults experiencing suicidal ideation. Adults who do not disclose suicidal ideation are more likely to have few social contacts, while they are less likely to experience poor (mental) health and frequent suicidal thoughts.
Highlights
In the Netherlands, the annual suicide number has increased from 1353 deaths in 2007 to 1894 deaths in 2016 (39% increase)
14,620 of the 15,600 participants answered the question about suicidal ideation at the end of the questionnaire, and 2% (n = 298) reported that they did not want to answer this question
The remaining respondents (n = 14,322) were largely elderly adults, on average 60 years old (SD = 16.7), and the youngest adults were in a minority (10% 19–34 years)
Summary
In the Netherlands, the annual suicide number has increased from 1353 deaths in 2007 to 1894 deaths in 2016 (39% increase). The standardized death rate, has remained at the same level since 2013 (11.1 per 100,000 residents) [1]. With regard to risk groups, the suicide rate is markedly highest in males and middle-aged adults; the proportion of males in suicide deaths was 68% compared to 32% females, and 55% were persons aged 40–65 years [2]. Of all the individuals who died by suicide, 62% were not in specialized mental health care [3]. Effective treatments are available for suicidality, many persons who experience suicidal ideation do not seek help. A large-scale cross-national study demonstrated that most people with suicidal ideation or who attempted suicide did not receive treatment [4]
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