[Suicide attempts: clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Sixth region of Chile 2002-2004]

Pediatrics Service of Hospital of Rancagua is the most complex into the Public Healthcare System of the Sixth Region of Chile. Adolescent suicide attempts which need hospitalization increased during the last years. The research objective is to know the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adolescents who are discharged because suicide attempts and to identify the behavior and risk factors of the adolescent at risk for suicide.

It is a case-control study. Case is defined as patients discharged because intentional self-poisoning by drugs in the period of 2002-2004. Controls are patients discharged in the same period, paired with cases by sex and age.

88 % of cases are women, mean age is 13.1 years. Medicaments used are mixture of different drugs (53 %) and death is the real intention in 49 %. Familial violence and depressive symptoms are important as risks factors for suicide.

There is predominance of females. Adolescents have easy access to medicaments of all kind. It is remarkable that death and need for having attention and change undesirable's personal situations are the motives for the suicidal behavior. Identification of risk factors for suicide is a good pediatrician's practice for preventing this problem.