Trends of Parasuicide in Adolescents: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study

"Parasuicide is referred to as an act with the nonfatal outcome, in which an individual deliberately initiates a nonhabitual behaviour that without intervention from others, will cause self-harm." Suicide is the leading cause of death among individuals aged 15-19 years. Because existing data indicate that non-fatal suicidal behaviour is the strongest predictor of suicide, the lack of non-fatal suicidal behaviour records presents a major gap in our understanding of the number of non-fatal cases and the dimensions of suicide.

To know the methods used in parasuicide and to identify the risk factors.

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the casualty of AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. It included 105 adolescents who attempted parasuicide. Data were collected on various factors and trends associated with parasuicide and analysed.

Adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years had a higher propensity for parasuicide. Gender-wise assessment showed that most of them were females (62.8%). The most commonly used method was self-poisoning (73.3%). Mass media exposure showed that mobile phones (69.5%) were one of the essential contributing factors. Academic issues (51.43%) were one of the common reasons behind the attempts. There was a slight decrease in the count of cases presenting to casualty with parasuicidal attempts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The various methods to attempt parasuicide used were significantly different in individuals with diverse academic backgrounds (p=0.04).

Parasuicide needs more focus and attention, which can be detrimental in preventing any future attempts of suicide.