Suicide attempt method affects prognosis

The method used for a suicide attempt is highly significant for the risk of subsequent successful suicide, reveals a long-term study from Karolinska Institutet. The results may be of help in acute risk assessment following a suicide attempt. Suicide is one of the most common causes of death among those aged 15 to 44. Previous research has shown that those who have previously attempted to take their own lives are at a greatly increased risk of committing suicide. Other known risk factors are psychiatric disorders and drug abuse. The new study, which followed people who had attempted suicide, is one of the first to compare groups who used different methods for their attempted suicide. The results, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), show that the risk of successful suicide is particularly high among those who attempted suicide by hanging, drowning, jumping from height or using firearms.