ABSTRACT
Background: Suicide is a major public health problem in developing countries which depending on geographical area, several factors have been associated with its prevalence and incidence. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of attempted suicide and its related factors in Kashan during 2003-8
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on all suicide attempters referred to Kashan health centers during 2003-8. Patient's demographic information, manner, outcome and a previous history of suicide attempts were recorded on a questionnaire by interviewing patients or their families
Results: There were 2867 suicide cases during the study period. Most of them were in age range of 25-35 years. Fifty-nine percent of patients were female and 56% married. Drug abuse was the most common method of suicide [79%]. So, an overall attempted suicide rate was 119 per 100000 people in Kashan during 2003-8 and there were only 29 cases [1.1%] of successful suicide
Conclusion: Although the rate of attempted suicide are high in this city, the rate for successful suicide is very low. Therefore, this problem and its related factors need to be considered by health managers