title: Characteristics of patients who visit the emergency department with self-inflicted injury.
abstract: During visits to emergency medical facilities, the primary care of and risk identification for individuals who have attempted suicide is considered an important element in suicide prevention. With the ultimate goal of helping to prevent suicide, the aim of the present study was to determine the characteristics of patients with self-inflicted injuries who presented in the emergency department. Patients with self-inflicted injuries who visited 1 of 3 sentinel emergency medical centers from 2007 through 2009 were included in the study. The characteristics, methods, and reasons for suicide attempts were evaluated. Moreover, predictors of severe outcomes were evaluated. A total of 2,996 patients with self-inflicted injuries visited the three centers during a period of 3 yr. The male-to-female suicide ratio was 1:1.38 (P < 0.001). The mean age was 41 yr. Poisoning was the most common method of self-inflicted injury (68.7%) among all age groups. Medication was the primary means of injury in the < 50 age group, and the use of agricultural chemicals was the primary means in the ≥ 50 age group. The reasons for attempting suicide varied among the age groups. The predictors of severe outcome are male gender, older age, and not having consumed alcohol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Choung Ah
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sang Cheon
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Koo Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Soo Hyung
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Ki Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Ki Soo
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Pai
authors.forename: Joon Pil
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult; D000092864:Suicide Prevention