SUICIDAL IDEATIONS AND ATTEMPTS IN PATIENTS ADMITTED TO PSYCHIATRY OUTPATIENT CLINIC

Objective: The present study was conducted to determine the frequency of lifetime suicide attempts and suicidal ideations and to determine related risk factors on patients admitted to psychiatry outpatient clinic of Erzincan State Hospital. Material and Method: All the patients were asked for their suicidal ideations and behaviors in their lifetime. The sociodemographic data, number of application to outpatient clinics, the presence of a psychiatric disorder and a history of a suicide attempt within the family were questioned and recorded. The diagnosis based on DSM-IV-TR was determined after the psychiatric interview by the same psychiatrist. Among 1378 invited, 1073 participate in the study (77.9%). Results: Suicidal ideations were 28.3% (n=303) and attempts were 18.5% (n=198) during lifetime. Rate of suicidal attempts was 65.3% (198/303). Patients who considered or attempted suicide were more common among women than men. The most frequently diagnosed psychiatric condition was mood disorders followed by anxiety disorders for the patients with suicidal ideations and suicide attempts. For the group with suicidal attempts, the third most frequent diagnosis was somatoform disorders. Undiagnosed cases ranked third for the group with suicidal ideations. Conclusion: It is crucial to examine suicidal ideations and suicide attempts in all psychiatric patients. Following mood and anxiety disorders, the third most common diagnosis was somatoform disorders in patients living in rural areas of Eastern Turkey Suicide attempts may be used as a non-verbal language as part of somatization.