Characteristics of methods of suicide attempts in Korea: Korea National Suicide Survey (KNSS)

- Our study is the first nationwide study which seventeen medical centers joined in Korea.
- All individuals who attempted suicide were fully interviewed by trained psychiatric residents at emergency room.
- The methods used in individuals who attempted suicide were different with the methods in those who died by suicide.
- We found out the relating factors with methods of suicide attempts. Especially, pesticide poisoning, which were frequently used in Korea, was related with age, residential area and previous history of attempting suicide.

BackgroundBecause the method used for a suicide attempt is an important determinant of outcome, these methods should be explored. The present study was a nationwide investigation of suicide attempts and the characteristics of suicidal behavior.AimsTo compare the suicide methods used in attempted suicides with those used in completed suicides and to examine the factors associated with each phenomenon.MethodsThe present study reviewed the medical charts of subjects who had attempted suicide and subsequently visited the emergency rooms of 17 medical centers from May 1, 2013 to November 7, 2013. All subjects completed a full psychiatric interview conducted by trained psychiatric residents. Suicide-attempt methods were divided into the following six categories: drug poisoning, pesticide poisoning, gassing, cutting, hanging, and others. The associations among demographic variables, related psychiatric variables, and suicide-attempt methods were analyzed using a multinomial regression analysis.ResultsOf the 1359 suicide attempts or instrumental suicide-related behaviors with/without injuries and the 14,160 completed suicides, drug poisoning and cutting were the most common suicidal behaviors with/without injuries, but they were the least frequent method of completed suicides. In contrast, hanging and jumping from a height were less common among failed suicide attempts but resulted in a higher percentage of fatalities. Being male, age, and area of residence were associated with pesticide poisoning, whereas previous suicide attempts were associated with cutting, pesticide poisoning, and gassing.ConclusionA previous suicide attempt is a risk factor for suicide; thus, assessing the characteristics of suicide attempts or instrumental suicide-related behaviors with/without injuries is necessary to prevent these attempts. The present findings showed that the methods of suicide used by individuals who only attempted suicide differed from those used by individuals who completed. Of the suicide methods, pesticide poisoning was related to age, residential area (urban), and a history of previous suicide attempts.