Aftercare and Suicide Reattempt Prevention in Tehran, Iran

Background: A previous suicide attempt is one of the strongest risk factors for subsequent suicide. Effective care following a suicide attempt may reduce the risk of suicide reattempts. Aims: We aimed to investigate the effect of a brief educational intervention and contact program on suicide reattempts. Method: This study was performed as a randomized clinical trial (RCT) recruiting 305 individuals who had attempted suicide (brief intervention and contact = 153 individuals, BIC; treatment as usual = 152 individuals, TAU) who were referred to Baharlu Hospital in Tehran. The SUPRE-MISS questionnaire and a discharge follow-up questionnaire were used for data collection. Cox proportional hazard models and log-rank tests were used to assess the association of the variable with the event (reattempt). Kaplan-Meier curves were used to depict the time to the event of reattempt. Results: In the BIC group, 11% of the individuals had attempted suicide once, and 25% of the TAU group had attempted suicide once (12.4%), twice (9.3%), and three times (3.8%), respectively. The results of Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated the mean time of reattempt in the BIC (0.76) and TAU groups (0.25) as the fourth and second months of follow-up, respectively (log rank, χ² = 12.48, p < .001). The hazard ratio for the TAU group was 2.57 (95% CI [1.4, 5.9]). Limitations: Loss to follow-up due to stigma is one of the serious problems of follow-up services. Conclusion: Implementing a brief educational intervention and contact program on suicide reattempts is feasible and effective in reducing the rate of reattempt; however, it should be accommodated within the mental health services of the county.