Headlines - 70,000 people hospitalized annually for suicide attempts in France

The French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) has published a report on hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to suicide attempts in metropolitan France, based on data from the Medical Information Systems Program (PMSI) between 2004 and 2011. In mainland France, an average of 70,000 people are hospitalized annually in medical or surgical wards for suicide attempts, totaling approximately 90,000 hospitalizations, which translates to a hospitalization rate for suicide attempts of 17.7 per 10,000 inhabitants. These rates are 21.6 per 10,000 women compared to 13.4 per 10,000 men and reach 43 per 10,000 among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19. Following hospitalization for a suicide attempt, the readmission rate for suicide attempts is 12.8% at 12 months and 26.6% at 8 years. Re-hospitalizations for suicide attempts are most frequent among those aged 30 to 49, with no difference between men and women, and approximately one-quarter of patients in this age group are re-hospitalized at least once. Among those hospitalized for suicide attempts, those over 70 are the most likely to die during their stay. Intentional drug overdose is the most common method, accounting for 70,000 to 85,000 hospital stays per year, or 82% of hospitalized suicide attempts. Vein cutting and hanging account for 5% and 1.6% of hospitalizations for suicide attempts, respectively; other methods are rarer and each account for less than 1%. Drug overdose is more common among women, while men more frequently use other methods.The northern and western regions of France (with the exception of Île-de-France and Pays de la Loire), and to a lesser extent the northeast, which includes Burgundy and Franche-Comté, are the most affected, with standardized rates 20% higher than the national rate.