Patterns and Outcomes of Traumatic Suicides: A Retrospective Study of 132 Patients Admitted to a Turkish Medical Center.

Abstract

BACKGROUND Patients who have attempted suicide by traumatic mechanisms and who present to the Emergency Department (ED) are important due to their severity and high mortality. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the presentation 132 cases of attempted suicide admitted to a hospital ED in Ankara, Turkey, between September 2022 and August 2023. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective study assessed data on 132 adult patients who presented at the ED of Ankara City Hospital due to attempted suicide by traumatic method during a 1-year study period. The descriptive characteristics of the cases, their chronic psychiatric diseases, and the characteristics of their injuries were analyzed based on the duration of stay in the ED and hospital as outcome measures. RESULTS Among our study population, 67% were men and 33% were women, and 52% had a previous psychiatric diagnosis. Incision was the predominant trauma mechanism (n=102, 77.3%). Patients with upper-extremity injuries had shorter stays in the ED (P=0.013), while those injured in with motor vehicle-related injuries and those falling from height stayed in the hospital longer (P=0.018). CONCLUSIONS In the traumatic suicides discussed, upper-extremity injuries with incision predominated. Upper-extremity injuries had shorter ED treatment times. Those injured by falling from heights or by motor vehicles required longer clinical care in the hospital.