Suicide by hanging: Results from a national survey in Switzerland and its implications for suicide prevention


Autoři: Thomas Reisch aff001;  Chantal Hartmann aff001;  Alexander Hemmer aff001;  Christine Bartsch aff003
Působiště autorů: Hospital of Psychiatry Muensingen, Department of Psychiatry, Muensingen, Switzerland aff001;  Hospital of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland aff002;  Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Association, Department of Infrastructure/Administration / Operations and Research Platforms, Bremerhaven, Germany aff003
Vyšlo v časopise: PLoS ONE 14(9)
Kategorie: Research Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220508

Souhrn

Background

Hanging is a frequent suicide method, but developing measures to prevent suicide by this method is particularly challenging. The aim of this study is to gain new knowledge that would enable the design of effective of measures that would help prevent suicide by hanging.

Methods

A total of 6,497 suicides registered across the eight Swiss Forensic Institutes (IRM) were analysed. Of these, 1,282 (19.7%) persons hung themselves. T-test and chi-square tests. and chi-square tests were used to analyse …(or determine, or investigate) …group differences regarding sociodemographic variables and triggers

Findings

Men and women who hung themselves showed no significant differences in sociodemographic variables. However, women were significantly more likely to have a psychiatric illness history, whereas men were more likely to have somatic diagnoses. In controlled environments, people used shelves, plumbing and windows more often than beams, pipes, bars and hooks to hang themselves. Compared with other suicide methods, hanging was more likely to have been triggered by partner and financial problems.

Conclusions

Suicide by hanging can be best prevented in institutions (e.g. psychiatric hospitals, somatic hospitals, prisons). These institutions should be structurally evaluated and modified with a primary focus on sanitary areas, windows and shelves. Otherwise, it is important to use general suicide prevention measures, such as awareness raising and staff training in medical settings, low-threshold treatment options and regular suicide risk assessment for people at risk.

Klíčová slova:

Medicine and health sciences – Mental health and psychiatry – Suicide – Substance-related disorders – Intoxication – Health care – Patients – Inpatients – Outpatients – Epidemiology – Medical risk factors – Traumatic injury risk factors – Weapons – Firearms – Public and occupational health – Social sciences – Economics – Finance – Law and legal sciences – Criminal justice system – Prisons – Engineering and technology – Equipment – People and places – Geographical locations – Europe – Switzerland


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2019 Číslo 9
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