Suicide attempts in a sample of patients from a general hospital

Background Suicide in Mexico has risen steadily in recent years, increasing by 156% in the last two decades. The study of suicide precursors, such as suicide attempts, has also become an important public health topic. The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of suicide attempts in a gene ral hospital setting and its association with alcohol, depression, and othe r factors. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of a sample of patients was carried out i n all three service units (inpatient, outpatient, and the emergency room) o f a general hospital in Mexico City. All patients were randomly selected to participate regardless of the reason for initial hospital admission. Each patient was administered a series of psychological and demographic scales i ncluding the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Hopelessness Inventory, th e General Health Questionnaire, a suicide assessment scale, a scale for alc ohol consumption, and several measurements of alcohol-related problems. Results. The final sample was made up of 1,094 patients of both genders (68 % women), aged 18-65 years. A lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts of 6. 1% (95% confidence interval [CI] of 4.7-7.7%) was found. Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain estimations of the association between lifeti me suicide attempt and other factors. Marital status, age, depressed mood, hopelessness, Goldberg's 30-item version of the General Health Questionnair e, and high levels of alcohol consumption were all associated with the suic ide attempt. Conclusions. Prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts was mainly related to being young, divorced, or widowed, and to feeling depressed, hopeless, and under undesirable psychological distress. (C) 2000 IMSS. Published by Elsev ier Science Inc.