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Changes in the Frequency and Clinical Features of Suicide Attempts in the Midwestern Area of Kanagawa after the Great East Japan Earthquake
Author(s) -
Kato Koji,
Mikami Katsunaka,
Kimoto Keitaro,
Kimoto Kousuke,
Takahashi Yuki,
Sato Reiko,
Matsumoto Hideo
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of forensic sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.715
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4029
pISSN - 0022-1198
DOI - 10.1111/1556-4029.12317
Subject(s) - suicide prevention , medicine , injury prevention , poison control , suicide attempt , demography , occupational safety and health , human factors and ergonomics , psychiatry , medical emergency , sociology , pathology
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the clinical features of suicide attempts and the G reat E ast J apan earthquake in K anagawa. We enrolled 592 patients who attempted suicide and were hospitalized for inpatient treatment. Clinical features were compared between before the earthquake (A) and after the earthquake (B) groups. The number of suicide attempts increased from 286 to 306. The rate of increase in suicide attempts in men was the highest in the age group of 40–59 years. The frequency of joblessness, family psychiatric histories, precipitating event, and alcohol intake at suicide attempt was significantly higher in the B group than in the A group. The number of patients in serious condition in the B group was significantly higher than that in the A group. Other clinical features related to suicide in people who were indirectly affected by the earthquake disaster should be investigated to develop targeted prevention strategies.