Characteristics of methods of suicide attempts in Korea: Korea National Suicide Survey (KNSS).

Abstract Background Because the method used for a suicide attemptis an important determinant of outcome, these methods should be explored. The present study was a nationwide investigation of suicide attemptsand the characteristics of suicidal behavior. Aims To compare the suicide methodsused in attempted suicides with those used in completed suicides and to examine the factors associated with each phenomenon. Methods The present study reviewed the medical charts of subjects who had attempted suicide and subsequently visited the emergency rooms of 17 medical centers from May 1, 2013 to November 7, 2013. All subjects completed a full psychiatric interviewconducted by trained psychiatric residents. Suicide-attemptmethods were divided into the following six categories: drug poisoning, pesticide poisoning, gassing, cutting, hanging, and others. The associations among demographic variables, related psychiatric variables, and suicide-attemptmethods were analyzed using a multinomial regression analysis. Results Of the 1359 suicide attemptsor instrumental suicide-related behaviors with/without injuries and the 14,160 completed suicides, drug poisoningand cutting were the most common suicidal behaviors with/without injuries, but they were the least frequent method of completed suicides. In contrast, hanging and jumping from a height were less common among failed suicide attemptsbut resulted in a higher percentage of fatalities. Being male, age, and area of residence were associated with pesticide poisoning, whereas previous suicide attemptswere associated with cutting, pesticide poisoning, and gassing. Conclusion A previous suicide attemptis a risk factor for suicide; thus, assessing the characteristics of suicide attemptsor instrumental suicide-related behaviors with/without injuries is necessary to prevent these attempts. The present findings showed that the methods of suicide used by individuals who only attempted suicide differed from those used by individuals who completed. Of the suicide methods, pesticide poisoning was related to age, residential area (urban), and a history of previous suicide attempts.