An Emergency Department-Initiated Intervention to Lower Relapse Risk after Attempted Suicide.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Psychiatry
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Randomized trials indicate post-suicide attempt contact reduces relapse risk.
• Effectiveness studies using real-world clinical data offer crucial external validity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an emergency department (ED)-initiated intervention for suicide attempt risk reduction.
• To determine if a single, early follow-up appointment post-discharge reduces suicide relapse risk.

Main Methods:

• An observational study of 1,775 patients treated for suicide attempts in a general hospital ED.
• Kaplan-Meier survival functions and Cox proportional hazard regression models were used.
• Key covariates included demographics, psychiatric history, substance abuse, and social support.

Main Results:

• A total of 497 (22.5%) patients experienced a suicide attempt relapse.
• Patients receiving the intervention showed a reduced risk of relapse.
• An adjusted risk reduction estimate of 24% was observed for the intervention group.

Conclusions:

• Real-world data suggest an early follow-up appointment reduces suicide reattempt risk.
• Scheduling an appointment before discharge is an effective strategy for suicide attempt survivors.