Crisis
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Whereas firearm suicide mortality has been a longstanding public concern worldwide, in Greece no systematic analysis has been reported so far despite the recent evidence of a rising rate of gun ownership. ⋯ As an important first step toward implementing preventive initiatives the authors stress the need for a thorough look at the sociocultural factors associated with firearms in the region.
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Suicidal behavior is an understudied subject in Pakistan, a South-Asian developing country with a predominantly Muslim population. ⋯ Patients who left the ED without psychosocial assessment are at increased risk for repetition of DSH as well as suicide.
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Comparative Study
The attitudes of emergency staff toward attempted suicide patients: a comparative study before and after establishment of a psychiatric consultation service.
The staff in the emergency room of general hospitals are under heavy work pressure and seem to reveal negative attitudes toward suicide attempters. From earlier studies there is indirect evidence that the attitudes of staff who have the opportunity to consult a psychiatrist are less negative. ⋯ The results suggest that providing a psychiatric consultation service did not significantly affect attitudes among general hospital emergency room staff toward attempted suicide patients during its first year of operation, but in general, the emergency room staff was content with the opportunity for psychiatric consultation.
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This article describes trends in suicide attempt visits to emergency departments in the United States (US). Data were obtained from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey using mental-health-related ICD-9-CM, E and V codes, and mental-health reasons for visit. From 1992 to 2001, mental-health-related visits increased 27.5% from 17.1 to 23.6 per 1000 (p < .001). ⋯ Ten-year regional increases in suicide attempt-related visits were significant for the West and Northeast only. US emergency departments have witnessed increasing rates of ED visits for suicide attempts during a decade of significant reciprocal decreases in postattempt hospitalization. Emergency departments are increasingly important sites for identifying, assessing and treating individuals with suicidal behavior.