title: Help-seeking behavior prior to nearly lethal suicide attempts.
abstract: The association between help-seeking and nearly lethal suicide attempts was evaluated using data from a population-based, case-control study of 153 13- to 34-year-old suicide attempt case-patients treated at emergency departments in Houston, Texas, and a random sample of 513 control-subjects. Measures of help-seeking included whether the participant sought help for health/emotional problems in the past month, type of consultant contacted, and whether suicide was discussed during the interaction. Overall, friends/family were consulted most frequently (48%). After controlling for potential confounders, case-patients were less likely than control-subjects to seek help from any consultant (OR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3-0.8) or a professional (e.g., physician, counselor) consultant (OR = 0.5, 95%CI = 0.29-0.8). Among those who sought help, case-patients were more likely than to discuss suicide (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.2-5.4), particularly with professionals (OR = 11.8, 95% CI = 3.2-43.2). Our findings suggest that efforts to better understand the role of help-seeking in suicide prevention, including help sought from family and friends, deserves further attention.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. lwb6@cdc.gov
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kresnow
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D003253:Consultants; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D013781:Texas