title: Suicide-related contacts--experience in general practice.
abstract: We examined the rate of suicide-related contacts (SRCs) in general practice between April 1998 and March 2013. We defined an SRC as a general practitioner (GP)-patient encounter where suicide ideation or attempt (International Classification of Primary Care 2nd edn, code P77) was recorded as either a problem under management or a patient's reason for encounter (RFE). Between 1998 and 2013, 14 793 GPs participated in BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) and recorded details of 1 479 300 encounters with patients. There were 406 SRC encounters. Most of these were identified through the patient's RFE and not by the GP's label of a problem managed at the encounter. Depression was the most frequent problem managed at encounters where suicidal ideation or attempt was a patient's RFE. This suggests that suicide is often subsumed in the 'depression' label and that we are only identifying a subset of encounters with patients who are dealing with suicidal thoughts.
authors.affiliation: Australian GP Statistics & Classification Centre, University of Sydney, New South Wales.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bayram
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Britt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D058006:General Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult