title: Comorbidity of psychiatric and personality disorders in first suicide attempters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Attempted suicide is a common clinical problem in a general hospital setting. It has a serious clinical and socio-economical impact too.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the psychosocial, psychiatric, and personality profile of the first suicide attempters in a general hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, hospital-based, descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  All the consecutive cases of first suicide attempt (n=100) treated in a general hospital were studied to know the clinical profile. Variables related to socio-demographic characteristics, family background, suicide characteristics, psychiatric morbidity, and comorbidity were analyzed. Risk-Rescue rating was applied to know the medical seriousness of the suicide attempt. Presumptive stressful life event scale was utilized to calculate life events score. Structured clinical interview (MINI Plus) and semi-structured clinical interview (IPDE) were used for axis-I and axis-II (personality) diagnoses. The results were analyzed using appropriate statistical measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Family history of psychiatric illnesses (31%) and suicide (11%) were noted. Insecticides and pesticides were the most common agents (71%) employed to attempt suicide. Interpersonal difficulties (46%) were the most frequent stressor. Overall medical seriousness of the suicide attempt was of moderate lethality. 93% of the suicide attempters had at least one axis-I and/or axis-II psychiatric disorder. Most common diagnostic categories were mood disorders, adjustment disorders, and substance-related disorders, with axis-I disorders (89%), personality disorders (52%), and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders (51.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals who made first suicide attempt were young adults, had lower educational achievement; overall seriousness of the suicide attempt was of moderate lethality, high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, personality disorders, and comorbidity, and had sought medical help from general practitioners.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, JJM Medical College, Davanagere, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: K Nagaraja
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Ranganath R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kulkarni
authors.forename: Shamshad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Begum
keywords: Attempted suicide; comorbidity; personality disorders; psychiatric disorders; stressful life events