Gender differences in healthcare service utilisation 1 year before suicide: national record linkage study.
All suicides (n=12 497) in Taiwan in 2001-2004 were identified from mortality records retrieved from the National Health Insurance Database. Altogether, 95.1% of females and 84.9% of males had been in contact with healthcare services in the year before their death. Females received significantly more diagnoses of psychiatric disorders (48.0% v. 30.2%) and major depression (17.8% v. 7.4%) than males. Such differences were consistent across different medical settings where contact with hospital-based non-psychiatric physicians was as common as with general practitioners (GPs). However, diagnoses of psychiatric disorders were underdiagnosed in both genders.
Chang
Chia-Ming
CM
Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, No.7 Chung San South Road, Taipei, Taiwan.
Liao
Shih-Cheng
SC
Chiang
Hung-Chi
HC
Chen
Ying-Yeh
YY
Tseng
Kwan-Cho
KC
Chau
Yeuk-Lun
YL
Chang
Hsiu-Ju
HJ
Lee
Ming-Been
MB
D000328:Adult; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008498:Medical Record Linkage; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology