Abstract
To explore and describe a profile of patients admitted to a psychiatric emergency facility, comparing patients with and without a recent suicide attempt in terms of their clinical characteristics and aggression. This was an exploratory comparative study where patients were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Overt Aggression Scale (OAS). Participants with a suicide attempt in the last 24 hours (SA) were compared to participants with a prior history of suicide attempt but no recent attempt (PHSA). 63 individuals (SA: 26; PHSA: 37) were selected. Both groups had similar demographic and clinical characteristics. The most prevalent diagnoses were mood (57.1%) and personality (50.8%) disorders. The majority of patients in both groups had a history of aggression episodes. Physical aggression in the week prior to admission was more prevalent in the PHSA group (51.4 vs. 19.2%, p = 0.017). The PHSA group also presented higher activation scores (p = 0.025), while the SA group presented higher affect scores on BPRS dimensions (p = 0.002). The majority of individuals with a history of suicide attempt also presented a history of aggression. Inpatients with recent suicide attempt were hospitalized mainly due to the risk of suicide, while those with no recent suicide attempt were hospitalized mainly due to the risk of hetero-aggression. These findings support the hypothesis of an aggressive profile in suicidal patients and may open up a path for future research.
Highlights
Suicide is a global issue and a serious public health problem.[1]
Of the 152 general psychiatric admissions registered during the period of the study and meeting the inclusion criteria, 139 patients were available to be interviewed by the researchers (13 left the hospital before the interview because they were subjected to a short period of observation only)
This study aimed to describe the profile of patients with a history of suicide attempt subjected to psychiatric hospitalization at a tertiary reference hospital serving the central micro-region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil
Summary
Suicide is a global issue and a serious public health problem.[1] According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one million people commit suicide each year worldwide. It is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 years.[1] The Brazilian Mortality Information System (Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade [SIM-2013]) reports that the suicide rate in Rio Grande do Sul is the highest in Brazil (10.18 per 100,000 inhabitants).[2] The mesoregion of east-central Rio Grande do Sul ranks first (15.96), and the center-west sits in fifth place (10.04) Both surpass the national mean of 5.01 per 100,000 inhabitants.[2] There has been a rise in the mortality rate by suicide among the youth in recent years, it is still more frequent in the elderly.[3]
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