Hospitalizations for attempted suicide in acute care facilities: trends from 2008 to 2017

Introduction: The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics of hospitalizations for suicide attempts (SA) in acute care facilities in France and to present trends in these admissions between 2008 and 2017. Methods: Data were extracted from the national database of the Program for the Medicalization of Information Systems in Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics, and Dentistry (PMSI-MCO). The analysis focused on hospitalizations of all individuals aged 10 years and older with a diagnosis of SUI (ICD-10 codes X60 to X84) between 2008 and 2017. Results: The number of hospitalizations for suicide attempts decreased from over 100,000 per year in 2008 to just under 89,000 in 2017. Hospitalization rates for suicide attempts were 17.4 and 15.1 per 10,000 inhabitants in 2008 and 2017, respectively. The decrease was more pronounced among women (21.7 in 2008 and 18.0 in 2017, p<0.0001) than among men (13.0 in 2008 and 12.2 in 2017). Readmission for suicide attempts remained stable: regardless of the year studied, 89.5% of patients had a single hospitalization for a suicide attempt, and 10.5% had at least one additional hospitalization during the same calendar year. Girls aged 15 to 19 consistently had the highest rates, averaging 41 per 10,000. Between 2008 and 2017, a decline in rates by age was observed among women aged 20 to 49, while among men over 50, rates were higher in 2017 than in 2008. In Brittany, Normandy, and Hauts-de-France, rates were higher than the national rates for both men and women in 2008 and 2017. Regardless of the year, intentional drug overdoses, particularly involving psychotropic drugs, represented the most common method of suicide attempts. A psychiatric condition was noted in 61% of hospitalizations for suicide attempts (59% among women and 64% among men). The most common conditions were depression, alcohol-related mental and behavioral disorders, and anxiety disorders. Conclusion: Although a decrease in hospitalizations for suicide attempts has been observed over the past ten years, prevention and treatment efforts must continue, with a particular focus on certain population groups such as adolescent girls, men over 50, and individuals who have previously attempted suicide.

Author(s): Chan Chee Christine

Publishing year: 2019

Pages: 48-54

Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2019, n° 3-4, p. 48-54

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