Survey on Suicidal Ideation among Suicide Attempters of Four General Hospitals

Objective To have an understanding of the prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation among suicide attempters at critical emergency units of general hospitals in Shenyang. Methods Suicide attempters of emergency department of 4 tertiary general hospitals in Shenyang during the same period were interviewed,among them 239 cases with intact data were assessed by using self-injury questionnaires and the Beck Scale for suicide ideation and diagnosed by a structured psychiatric examination based on DSM-Ⅳ criteria. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for suicidal ideation. Results The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation was 69.46%(95%CI:60.25%～79.25%). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the most important risk factors for suicidal ideation were having hopelessness feeling in the last week (OR=2.88),having current psychiatric disorders (OR=2.78)and releasing themselves from their suffering (OR=2.29). Conclusion The prevalence of suicidal ideation among suicide attempters at critical emergency units of general hospitals is higher than expected and still existing risk factors for their suicidal ideation should be identified and assessed. At the same time targeted interventions need to be taken to prevent the recurrence of their suicidal behaviors.