title: Suicide attempts and related factors in patients admitted to a general hospital: a ten-year cross-sectional study (1997-2007).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Suicide and suicide attempts represent a severe problem for public health services. The aim of this study is to determine the socio-demographic and psychopathological variables associated with suicide attempts in the population admitted to a General Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational-descriptive study of patients admitted to the A Coruña University Hospital (Spain) during the period 1997-2007, assessed by the Consultation and Liaison Psychiatric Unit. We include n = 5,234 admissions from 4,509 patients. Among these admissions, n = 361 (6.9%) were subsequent to a suicide attempt. Admissions arising from a suicide attempt were compared with admissions occurring due to other reasons.Multivariate generalised estimating equation logistic regression models were used to examine factors associated with suicide attempts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adjusting by age, gender, educational level, cohabitation status, being employed or unemployed, the psychiatric diagnosis at the time of the interview and the information on previous suicide attempts, we found that the variables associated with the risk of a suicide attempt were: age, psychiatric diagnosis and previous suicide attempts. The risk of suicide attempts decreases with age (OR = 0.969). Psychiatric diagnosis was associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts, with the highest risk being found for Mood or Affective Disorders (OR = 7.49), followed by Personality Disorders (OR = 7.31), and Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders (OR = 5.03).The strongest single predictive factor for suicide attempts was a prior history of attempts (OR = 23.63).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age, psychopathological diagnosis and previous suicide attempts are determinants of suicide attempts.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, A Coruña Hospital, UPIE Planta Baja, Hospital de Oza, As Xubias, 84, 15006 A Coruña, Spain. jesus.alberdi.sudupe@sergas.es
authors: Jesús
authors: J
authors: Alberdi-Sudupe
authors: Salvador
authors: S
authors: Pita-Fernández
authors: Sonia M
authors: SM
authors: Gómez-Pardiñas
authors: Fernando
authors: F
authors: Iglesias-Gil-de-Bernabé
authors: Jorge
authors: J
authors: García-Fernández
authors: Gonzalo
authors: G
authors: Martínez-Sande
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Lantes-Louzao
authors: Sonia
authors: S
authors: Pértega-Díaz
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012307:Risk Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*