title: Health care experiences prior to suicide and self-inflicted injury, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2010.
abstract: Suicide is a leading cause of deaths of U.S. service members. Medical care providers may play a role in suicide prevention. We summarized the outpatient experiences of service members prior to suicide or self-inflicted injury and compared them with service members without suicidal behavior. During 2001-2010, 45 percent of individuals who completed suicide and 75 percent of those who injured themselves had outpatient encounters within 30 days prior to suicide/self-harm. Primary care was the most frequently visited clinical service prior to suicide/self-harm. As compared to their counterparts, service members with suicidal behavior had especially excessive outpatient visit rates within, but not prior to, 60 days of their deaths/injuries. The finding suggests that there may be one or more "triggering" events that lead to care-seeking. These results may help identify individuals that should be screened for suicide risk.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Telehealth and Technology, Defense Center of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Trofimovich
authors.forename: Nancy A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Skopp
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Luxton
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012306:Risk; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult; D000092864:Suicide Prevention