Attempted Suicides in a Primary Care Setting

Abstract

Aim: To describe the profile of patients who attempted to commit suicide in a primary care setting. Study design: A descriptive survey of patients who attempted suicide Setting: Casualty department of a district hospital in PretoriaWest. Main outcome variables: Age, sex. methods used, reason for attempt and previous attempts. Results: This study included 313 patients of which 208 were females and 105 males. Of these patients 257 (82%) were less than 4l years of age and 289 (92%) were white. Previous suicide attempts were acknowledged by 25% of patients and 30,7% took benzodiazepines in overdose. No fatalities were recorded and l8 (5,8%) patients were transferred to other hospitals for intensive medical care. Marital, famit or relationship problems were indicated by 184 (72,4%) patients as the reason for the attempt. Conclusion: In the Pretoria West area suicidal attempts are common. Marital and domestic problems are the main reasons for attempting suicide.