Psychiatric Morbidity among Patients of Suicide

Abstract

Background: The word suicide is derived from the Latin word “self murder.” It is the human act of self intentioned cessation, self inflicting, committed out of acute anguish, tunneled logic and constricted thinking. Aims: To find psychiatric morbidity among patients of suicide. Materials & Methods: The present cross-sectional study conducted on 118 patients of suicide who were admitted in the hospital and were seeking psychiatric consultation through liaison. Various parameters like their sociodemographic characteristics, mode of suicide and precipitating factors were noted in a preformed proforma after a detailed interview. Psychiatric diagnosis was made according to ICD-10 after assesing the patient with MINI ((Mini International Neuropsychiatric Instrument). Results: Maximum i.e. 52.5% patients were in the age group 15-30 years, Females were 65.3%, 56.8% patients were of rural background. Majority of the patients were Hindus (64.4%), married (61.9%), educated (77.1%), unemployed (70.3%) and were of low socioeconomic status (48.3%). Total of 52.5% were having family conflict as the precipitating factors. Poisoning was the most common way of suicide accounting for 61.9% suicidal attempts. Psychiatric morbidity was present in 60.2% patients of which depression was the most common diagnosis and was present in 28% patients of suicide. Conclusion: From present study, suicide appears to be a major public health problem which can be prevented. Persons who had attempted suicide and their family members should be followed up in order to prevent future attempts. Strict laws for storing potentially poisonous drugs and chemicals would help in reducing suicidal attempts by restricting access.