Health care contacts before and after attempted suicide.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence and timing of contact with health care predicting and after a suicide attempt are not well known. This study systematically investigated the pattern of all health care contacts both before and after attempted suicide.


METHODS
All consecutive 1,198 suicide attempters treated in hospital emergency rooms in Helsinki during a 12-month period were identified. Data were gathered on all health care contacts 1 year before and after the index attempt.


RESULTS
The vast majority of the suicide attempters had contact with health care during the 12 months before and after the index attempt. However, half were without a treatment contact during the final 30 days before the index attempt and one-third in the 30 days following the attempt. Suicide attempters who were not referred to aftercare, did not suffer from a previously recognised major mental disorder, were male, or made non-violent attempts were less likely to be receiving treatment after the attempt.


CONCLUSIONS
Although most suicide attempters have contact with health care within the year before and after the parasuicide, far fewer actually have a treatment contact at the time of the attempt.
Suominen
Kirsi H
KH
Department of Mental Health and Alcohol Research, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland. kirsi.suominen@ktl.fi
Isometsä
Erkki T
ET
Ostamo
Aini I
AI
Lönnqvist
Jouko K
JK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*