Open AccessGender Differences in the Suicide Attempts of Adolescents in Emergency Departments: Focusing on Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Author(s) -
Katsunaka Mikami,
Seiji Inomata,
Yuichi Onishi,
Yasushi Orihashi,
Kenji Yamamoto,
Hideo Matsumoto
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
adolescent psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2210-6774
pISSN - 2210-6766
DOI - 10.2174/2210676609666190617144453
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , suicide attempt , psychiatry , medicine , logistic regression , suicide prevention , psychological intervention , depression (economics) , poison control , injury prevention , clinical psychology , psychology , autism , medical emergency , economics , macroeconomics
Background: Few studies on gender-based diagnostic characteristics of adolescentsuicide attempters in emergency departments (EDs) have included individuals withautism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objective: This study aimed to examine the clinical features of adolescent suicide attempts inEDs, focusing on gender differences and considering individuals with ASD. Method: Ninety-four adolescent patients, aged less than 20 years, who had attempted suicideand had been hospitalized in an emergency department, participated in this study. Psychiatricdiagnoses according to DSM-IV criteria and clinical features were compared betweenmale and female patients. Results: The number (%) of males was 15 (16.0), and that of females was 79 (84.0). The meanage (SD) of males was 17.1 (1.5), and that of females was 16.9 (1.6). The attempt methodswere more serious, length of stay in the emergency room longer, and rate of outpatient treatmentlower in males. In addition, suicide attempters with ASD were significantly more frequentin male. Adjusting for age and gender, adjustment disorder was significantly associated withthe presence of suicide attempters with ASD using a multivariable logistic regression. Conclusion: Males were less likely to visit psychiatric service previous to attempting suicides,and may be likely to complete suicides. In addition, suicide attempters with ASD arecharacteristic in male, and likely to have comorbid adjustment disorder. ED visits offer awindow of opportunity to provide suicide prevention interventions for adolescents, andtherefore, psychiatrists in EDs have a crucial role as gatekeepers of preventing suicide reattempts,especially in adolescent males including individuals with ASD having adjustmentdisorder.