Abstract:

Objective: The aim of this study was to detect the frequency of suicide attempts as well as psychological disorders for the individuals that attempt to commit suicide in the province of Sivas and clarify the relation between suicide attempts and the relevant characteristics.  Method: The socio-demographic information was collected during the clinical interview. Structured clinical interview for axis I disorders based on DSM-IV (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, SCID-I) and structured clinical interview for personality disorders based on DSM-III-R (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, SCID-II) were administered, consecutively. Results: Majority of the suicide attempters were women, at the 18-29 age group, people with low level of education, housewives and unemployed people of low socio-economical status whose parents also have a low education profile and people who belong to the core family structure. The most common method of suicide attempts was taking high doses of drugs. The most frequent reported reason for suicide was family disputes (33%). 61% of the cases were identified as having an axis I disorder and 58% were identified as having an axis II disorder. The most frequent axis I diagnosis was major depressive disorder and the most frequent axis II diagnosis was borderline personality disorder. Mood disorders were more common among married people, people at age 30 or older, people who have a history of a psycho-social stress factor before attempt and among those who have previous suicide attempts. Cluster B personality disorders were more common among people with dysfunctional family relationships, split family, alcohol abuse and previous suicide attempts. Conclusions: In-depth assessment for cases with depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder should include inquiry about previous suicide attempts and these cases should receive appropriate treatment. It should be kept in mind that the probability of suicide attempts is high for these cases.

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