Patients who attempted suicide and failed to attend mental health centres

Different studies report non-attendance to treatment of between 20 to 70% of patients after a suicide attempt. However, few studies have analyzed the characteristics of this non-attending population. To determine therefore the characteristics or profile of individuals who do not attend outpatient centres to which they are referred after a suicide attempt, we performed this study. A total of 232 patients who had attended the Emergency Department of our general hospital were interviewed. Instruments used included the suicide risk scale, the violent behaviour scale, the impulsivity scale, the hopelessness scale, and the Beck's depression scale. Seventy-three percent of the sample did not attend the mental health centre to which they had been referred. In comparison to the attending group, the non-attending group had the following characteristics: unmarried, residing in an urban area, took less precautions not to be discovered, were more critical of the attempt, and the purpose of the attempt was to resolve a conflict. Our data emphasize the importance of social and interpersonal aspects in determining the nature of the psychiatric care required by these types of patients.