Suicide attempt
A suicide attempt is an act in which an individual tries to kill themselves but survives.[1][2] Mental health professionals discourage describing suicide attempts as "failed" or "unsuccessful", as doing so may imply that a suicide resulting in death is a successful or desirable outcome.[3][4][5][6]
Methods[edit]
Some suicide methods have higher rates of lethality than others. The use of firearms results in death 90% of the time. Wrist-slashing has a much lower lethality rate, comparatively. 75% of all suicide attempts are by drug overdose, a method that is often thwarted because the drug is nonlethal, or is used at a nonlethal dosage. These people survive 97% of the time.[14]
Repetition[edit]
A nonfatal suicide attempt is the strongest known clinical predictor of eventual suicide.[15] Suicide risk among self-harm patients is hundreds of times higher than in the general population.[16] However, it is estimated that only about 10–15% of suicide attempt survivors eventually die by suicide.[17] The mortality risk is highest during the first months and years after the attempt: almost 1% of individuals who attempt suicide will die by suicide if the attempt is repeated within one year.[18] Recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that the association between suicide attempt and suicidal death may not be as strong as it was thought before.[19]
Outcomes[edit]
Suicide attempts can result in serious and permanent injuries and/or disabilities. At least 700,000 Americans survive a suicide attempt each year. People who attempt either hanging or carbon monoxide poisoning and survive can face permanent brain damage due to cerebral anoxia. People who take a drug overdose and survive can face severe organ damage (e.g., liver failure). Individuals who jump from a height and survive may face irreversible damage to multiple organs, as well as the spine and brain.
While a majority sustain injuries that allow them to be released following emergency room treatment, a significant minority—about 116,000—are hospitalized, of whom 110,000 are eventually discharged alive. Their average hospital stay is 79 days. Some 89,000, 17% of these people, are permanently disabled.[20]