Suicide attempt data recorded by the emergency medical care services (Samu)

Abstract

IntroductionAlthough regular statistics are available on suicides in France, the epidemiology of suicide attempts (SAs) is poorly understood.Aim and procedureThe databases of calls to the Samu Centre 15, le Nord Department, were examined in order to assess the number of people involved in suicide attempts, their age, sex, residence and repeated attempts during the three-year study period. Weather conditions on the day, deprivation score and time (hour, day, month) were also analyzed against the number of attempts.Results: There were 23,213 calls to the Samu Centre 15 involving SA between 2006 and 2008 in le Nord. Suicide attempts were more common on Sundays, during May (followed by January) and in the middle of the evening; almost 90% of the cases occurred at home and involved more women (289 per 100,000) than men (234 per 100,000). Standardized morbidity ratios (SMR by SA) in the north were far higher than in the south rural part of the department. A strong correlation (R = +0.66) was found between SMR and the social deprivation score, but almost no correlation was found with weather conditionsConclusionAlthough the data source used is not exhaustive (not all SAs result in a call to the Samu services), assuming that the proportions reported are consistent over time and space, the calls to Samu-Centre 15 can be considered a good epidemiological indicator of suicide attempts, subject, however, to the recording criteria being consistent.