Assessment of Suicide Risk and Potential Protective Factors among Patients Admitted at a Tertiary Mental Health Care Institute in Assam

ABSTRACT

Suicide is a major public health concern having a number of risk factors. Psychopathology is found to be one of the many protective factors of suicide. The current study intended to appraise the risks of attempting suicide and the presence of preventive factors among the patients admitted to tertiary mental health care setting. A total of 53 patients with mental illness care hospital in- cluded in the study. The risk of suicide was assessed with modified SAD PERSONS and Nurses'#39; Global Assessment of Suicide Risk tools and protective factors were assessed with the Reasons for Living inventory. The result showed that 13.3 percent of the admitted patients with mental illness had high risk of suicide and 3.8 percent very high risk of suicide requiring hospitalisation for the same. The participants had scored considerably higher in protective factors as described by the reasons for living inventory.