Authors

1Nieves Domínguez Fernández, 2Emilio Pintor Holguin, 3Agustín Pablo González Murillo, 2Margarita Rubio Alonso, 4Benjamín Herreros Ruiz-Valdepeñas

Position

¹Enfermera del Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital Universitario “La Paz”, Madrid.²Doctor/a en Medicina y Cirugía. Profesor/a del Departamento de Especialidades Médicas. Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas de la Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM).³Enfermero. Licenciado en Humanidades. Profesor Asociado del Departamento de Enfermería de la Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas de la UEM.⁴Doctor en Medicina y Cirugía. Profesor asociado del Departamento de Especialidades Médicas. Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas de la UEM.

Contact address

Emilio Pintor Holguin. Dpto. de Especialidades Médicas Aplicadas. Universidad Europea de Madrid. C/ Tajo, s/n. 28670 Villaviciosa de Odón (Madrid).

Contact email: emiliopintor@uem.es

Abstract

Objective: to determine the personal, socioeconomic and psychiatric characteristics and past history of patients arriving at hospital emergency department after attempted suicide, and the ways in which such
attempts are made, and to determine the outcome thereof.
Method: a descriptive study of patients older than 14 who arrive alive at the emergency room of the University Hospital "La Paz" (Madrid)
after attempted suicide.
Results: 150 patients, of whom 67% were women, were included. The mean age was 29,6 +/- 9,4. Most patients were single (50%) or divorced (36%), only 30% of them worked. 29% lived alone versus the rest who lived with parents or partners and children. 64% had a history of psychiatric disorder (depressive disorder 27%) and 56% had already
attempted suicide before, especially in the previous year (47%). The most common method was the voluntary intake of drugs (69%) compared to other, more particularly traumatic ways, especially precipitation (jumping­ from heights) (12%) and cuts in arms (10%). 85% were admitted for observation in the ER booths or were taken to the hospitalisation ward, and 8,7% died (all male).
There are significant differences between male and females with regard to age, way in which suicide was attempted, and mortality.
Conclusions: patients arriving at the ER of a third-level hospital of a large city like Madrid after attempted suicide are mostly young women, after the intake of benzodiazepines or phlebotomy; males use a more traumatic method, especially precipitation; being the overall mortality of the episode below 10%.

Keywords:

attempted suicide; autolysis; depressive; hospital emergenciesmental health

Versión en Español

Título:

Perfil de los pacientes con intento de autolisis atendidos en un servicio de urgencias hospitalarias