Mortality by suicide in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil (1996-2015)

Suicide attempts by adolescents assisted in an emergency department: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

to identify and characterize the care provided to adolescents admitted to an emergency department due to a suicide attempt.

METHODS

an observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study with a retrospective approach, carried out with medical records of adolescents aged 10 to 19 admitted for suicide attempts, between January 2015 and July 2020, in an emergency department. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential analysis.

RESULTS

eighty-eight service occurrences were identified, mainly to females, exposed to multiple risk factors. Exogenous intoxication was the main method used, occurring at home and on weekdays. There were systemic repercussions, requiring multiple interventions and hospitalizations. Only 26% of cases were notified.

CONCLUSIONS

adolescents treated for suicide attempts were exposed to multiple risk factors, with intoxication as the main means used. There is concern about the underreporting of cases and the logic of clinical care and medicalization.

Analysis of the completeness of self-harm and suicide records in Pernambuco, Brazil, 2014-2016

INTRODUCTION

Suicides and suicide attempts are major public health problems, and coping strategies are hampered by insufficient or inadequate notifications. Data accuracy influences the formulation of public and mental health policies and suicide prevention strategies. The objective of this study was to analyze the completeness of self-harm and suicide records in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, 2014-2016.

METHODS

This is an evaluative study with a descriptive design. The data were collected from suicide attempt records from the Notifiable Diseases Information System and suicide records from the Mortality Information System. Probabilistic linkage was used to relate these databases, and the degree of completeness of the variables was calculated. Completeness was classified into the following categories: good (≥ 75.1%), regular (50.1%-75.0%), low (25.1%-50.0%), and very low (≤ 25.0%).

RESULTS

In the analyzed period, 1,404 notifications of self-harm were studied, with an overall mean completeness of 86.2%. In addition, 1,050 suicide records were analyzed, with an overall mean completeness of 95.8%. Most variables referring to suicide attempts had good completeness, with the exception of the variables "occupation" and "education." The completeness of all suicide-related variables was rated as good. After linkage, a significant improvement was observed in the degree of completeness of the variable "occupation".

CONCLUSION

The results of this study showed that the completeness of self-harm and suicide variables improved from the first to the last year. The integration of data from different information systems provides an opportunity to improve suicide prevention programs and the quality of available information. Continuous efforts to increase the completeness and reliability of suicide surveillance systems are fundamental to describe the epidemiological profile and, consequently, plan preventive actions, in addition to contributing to the development and reformulation of strategies aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality related to suicidal behavior.

Inspiration project: Motivation, experiences, messages of support, overcoming and prevention of suicidal behavior

OBJECTIVES

The aim of that study was to analyze reasons for living, overcoming experiences and messages of support directed to people with suicidal behavior.

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in the categories: "Social, Interpersonal and Emotional Stressors", "Emotional and Relational Needs", "Persistence and Resilience", "Counseling", and "Barriers to Help Someone at Risk of Suicide", in which was expressed the importance of social support, persistence and resilience, counseling people in distress and identifying important barriers to help someone at suicide risk.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals experiences and behaviors related to helping people at risk, coping mechanisms, risk and protective factors related to suicide prevention.