General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume 32, Issue 5 , Pages 549-555 , September 2010

Comparison of patients with and without mental disorders treated for suicide attempts in the emergency departments of four general hospitals in Shenyang, China

  • Bo Bi, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Jianhua Tong, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Scientific Research, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Li Liu, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Shengnan Wei, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Haiyan Li, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Jinglin Hou, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Shanyong Tan, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Xu Chen, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Wei Chen, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Xiaoju Jia, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Ying Liu, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
  • ,
  • Guanghui Dong, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Statistics Center, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China
  • ,
  • Xiaoxia Qin, M.D.

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, PR China
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +86 24 8328 2184.
  • ,
  • Michael R. Phillips, M.D., Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 110001, China

Received 30 January 2010 ,Accepted 8 June 2010.

References 

  1. WHO . Death and DALY estimates for 2004 by cause for WHO Member States. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/bod/en/index.html(accessed May 28, 2009). Department of Measurement and Health Information, 2009
  2. Yip PS, Liu KY, Law CK. Years of life lost from suicide in China, 1990-2000. Crisis. 2008;29(3):131–136
  3. Brent DA, et al. Psychiatric risk factors for adolescent suicide: a case-control study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1993;32(3):521–529
  4. Fawcett J, et al. Time-related predictors of suicide in major affective disorder. Am J Psychiatry. 1990;147(9):1189–1194
  5. Shaffer D, et al. Psychiatric diagnosis in child and adolescent suicide. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1996;53(4):339–348
  6. Harris EC, Barraclough B. Suicide as an outcome for mental disorders. A meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry. 1997;170:205–228
  7. World Health Organization Multisite intervention study on suicidal behaviours SUPRE-MISS Geneva. Available at: http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/254.pdf, 2002.
  8. Beautrais AL. Suicides and serious suicide attempts: two populations or one?. Psychol Med. 2001;31(5):837–845
  9. Pokorny AD. Prediction of suicide in psychiatric patients. Report of a prospective study. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1983;40(3):249–257
  10. Nock MK, et al. Cross-national analysis of the associations among mental disorders and suicidal behavior: findings from the WHO World Mental Health Surveys. PLoS Med. 2009;6(8):e1000123
  11. Mann JJ, et al. Suicide prevention strategies: a systematic review. JAMA. 2005;294(16):2064–2074
  12. Phillips MR, et al. Risk factors for suicide in China: a national case-control psychological autopsy study. Lancet. 2002;360(9347):1728–1736
  13. Beck AT, Kovacs M, Weissman A. Assessment of suicidal intention: the Scale for Suicide Ideation. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1979;47(2):343–352
  14. Williams JB. A structured interview guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1988;45(8):742–747
  15. Hamilton M. A rating scale for depression. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1960;23:56–62
  16. Shi QC, et al. Epidemiological survey of mental illnesses in the people aged 15 and older in Zhejiang Province, China. Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2005;39(4):229–236
  17. Zhang YP, et al. National case-control study of suicide and accidental death. [in Chinese] Chinese Mental Health Journal. 2004;18:861–864
  18. Zhou RY, et al. Comparison of three diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of schizophrenia and mood disorders. Chin J Psychiatry. 1997;30:45–49
  19. First MB, Spitzer RL, Gibbon M, Williams JB. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders. New York: Biometrics Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute; 2002;
  20. Clayton D, Hill, M. Statistical models in epidemiology. Oxford: Oxford Science Publications, 1993.73-88,133–140.
  21. Gunnell D, et al. The epidemiology and management of self-harm amongst adults in England. J Public Health (Oxf). 2005;27(1):67–73
  22. Hickey L, et al. Deliberate self-harm patients who leave the accident and emergency department without a psychiatric assessment: a neglected population at risk of suicide. J Psychosom Res. 2001;50(2):87–93
  23. Canetto SS. Women and suicidal behavior: a cultural analysis. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2008;78(2):259–266
  24. Law S, Liu P. Suicide in China: unique demographic patterns and relationship to depressive disorder. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2008;10(1):80–86
  25. Zhang J, et al. Characteristics of Chinese suicide attempters: an emergency room study. Death Stud. 2006;30(3):259–268
  26. Zhang X, et al. Trends in suicide by poisoning in China 2000-2006: age, gender, method, and geography. Biomed Environ Sci. 2008;21(3):253–256
  27. Ajdacic-Gross V, et al. Methods of suicide: international suicide patterns derived from the WHO mortality database. Bull World Health Organ. 2008;86(9):726–732
  28. Zhang J, Zhou L. A case control study of suicides in China with and without mental disorder. Crisis. 2009;30(2):68–72
  29. Li XY, et al. Risk factors for suicide in China's youth: a case-control study. Psychol Med. 2008;38(3):397–406
  30. Steele MM, Doey T. Suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents. part 1: etiology and risk factors. Can J Psychiatry. 2007;52(6 Suppl 1):21S–33S
  31. Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with suicidal behavior. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2001;40(7 Suppl):24S–51S
  32. Aghanwa HS. The characteristics of suicide attempters admitted to the main general hospital in Fiji Islands. J Psychosom Res. 2000;49(6):439–445
  33. Yamada T, et al. Psychiatric assessment of suicide attempters in Japan: a pilot study at a critical emergency unit in an urban area. BMC Psychiatry. 2007;7:64
  34. Cavanagh JT, et al. Psychological autopsy studies of suicide: a systematic review. Psychol Med. 2003;33(3):395–405
  35. Beautrais AL, et al. Prevalence and comorbidity of mental disorders in persons making serious suicide attempts: a case-control study. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153(8):1009–1014
  36. Yang GH, et al. Understanding the unique characteristics of suicide in China: national psychological autopsy study. Biomed Environ Sci. 2005;18(6):379–389
  37. Li XY, et al. Characteristics of serious suicide attempts treated in general hospitals. Chin J Ment Health. 2002;16:681–684
  38. Vijayakumar L. Suicide prevention: the urgent need in developing countries. World Psychiatry. 2004;3(3):158–159
  39. Nock MK, et al. Cross-national prevalence and risk factors for suicidal ideation, plans and attempts. Br J Psychiatry. 2008;192(2):98–105
  40. Conner KR, Phillips MR, Meldrum SC. Predictors of low-intent and high-intent suicide attempts in rural China. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(10):1842–1846

 The sponsor did not participate in the design of the project, in the conduct of the study or in the preparation of the manuscript.

☆☆ None of the authors have a conflict of interest.

 The emergency room is the interface between community and health care institution. Whether through outreach or in-hospital service, the psychiatrist in the general hospital must have specialized skill and knowledge to attend the increased numbers of mentally ill, substance abusers, homeless individuals, and those with greater acuity and comorbidity than previously known. This Special Section will address those overlapping aspects of psychiatric, medicine, neurology, psychopharmacology, and psychology of essential interest to the psychiatrist who provides emergency consultation and treatment to the general hospital population.

PII: S0163-8343(10)00108-8

doi: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.06.003

General Hospital Psychiatry
Volume 32, Issue 5 , Pages 549-555 , September 2010