title: Paraquat intoxication in subjects who attempt suicide: why they chose paraquat.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Paraquat (PQ) has been used in suicide attempts; an estimated 2,000 toxic ingestions occur annually, with 60-70% mortality. We sought to determine why PQ is such a common agent for suicide attempts in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed 250 cases (143 males, 107 females) of attempted suicide by PQ ingestion from January to December 2007. The procurement of the PQ was divided into two categories: purchased and preexisting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Men were more likely to have purchased PQ than women (66% vs. 22%, p=0.042). Additionally, men were more likely to be unmarried (n=34, 23.9% vs. n=10, 9.3%) or divorced or separated (n=16, 11.3% vs. n=5, 4.6%) than the women (p<0.001). The group who intentionally selected PQ (38.4%) consisted of 96 cases (54 males, 42 females) and the group who did not intentionally select PQ (61.6%) included 154 cases (89 males, 65 females). The incidence of PQ purchase was higher in the intentional selection PQ group (46.9% vs. 18.2%, p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only 38% of patients who attempted suicide with PQ intentionally selected PQ. Thus, greater control of PQ availability is needed, especially in patients at risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Su-Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Seok
authors.forename: Hyo-Wook
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: Du-Shin
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jong-Oh
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Eun-Young
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sae-Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006540:Herbicides / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010269:Paraquat / Q000506:poisoning*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D010269:Paraquat