Pacientes hospitalizadas por ideación e intento de suicidio en un Hospital de Salud Mental: características clínico-demográficas y seguimiento a seis meses / [Patients hospitalized for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in a Mental Health Hospital: Clinicodemographical features and 6-month follow-up].

BACKGROUND: Suicide is an issue of high public health impact. In Argentina there are few published studies on suicide and suicide attempt. OBJECTIVE: To determine the percentage of hospitalizations caused by suicidal attempt or suicidal ideation in a Mental Health Hospital of the City of Buenos Aires, describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of these patients and to analyze the frequency of adverse events at a 6-month follow-up. METHODS: In the present study, baseline and follow-up data of an analytical, observational, prospective cohort study are used. RESULTS: Baseline data show that of all patients who entered the Emergency Department, 27

did so for ideation or suicide attempt. The most frequent diagnoses were: borderline personality disorder (41

) and schizophrenia (16

). The method most commonly used during the suicide attempt was drug poisoning. In half of the patients, the suicidal process was developed in less than 10 minutes. Monitoring data show that 22

of patients had a new attempted suicide and 34

had a readmission in a 6-month period. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results describe the characteristics of suicide patients admitted to a Mental Health Hospital and show the low efficacy of interventions and the need to devise new strategies for the management of suicidal patients.