Comparison of Families with and without a Suicide Prevention Plan Following a Suicidal Attempt by a Family Member

Abstract

The frequency and extent of the existence of a familial suicide prevention plan may differ across cultures. The aim of this work was, therefore, to determine how common it was for families to develop a suicide prevention plan and to compare the main measures used by families with and without such a plan, after an attempt to commit suicide was made by a member of a family living in a rural area of Korea. On the basis of the presence or absence of a familial suicide prevention plan, we compared 50 recruited families that were divided into 2 groups, with Group A (31 families) employing a familial suicide prevention plan after a suicide attempt by a family member, and Group B (19 families) not doing so. The strategy that was employed most frequently to prevent a reoccurrence among both populations was promoting communication among family members, followed by seeking psychological counseling and/or psychiatric treatment. Contrary to our expectation, the economic burden from medical treatment after a suicide attempt did not influence the establishment of a familial suicide prevention plan. It is a pressing social issue that 38% (19 of 50) of families in this study did not employ a familial suicide prevention plan, even after a family member had attempted suicide. Regional suicide prevention centers and/or health authorities should pay particular attention to these patients and their families.

Effectiveness of Psychosocial Interventions for Family Members and Other Informal Support Persons of Individuals Who Have Made a Suicide Attempt

“…The Taiwanese study by Sun et al (2014) evaluated the short-term effects of a 2-h suicide education intervention for carers of people who were suicidal (97% of whom had made a suicide attempt) versus usual care. The Korean study by Cho et al (2015) looked at effectiveness of a suicide prevention plan, such as promoting communication within the family as well as seeking psychological counselling and/or psychiatric treatment after a suicide attempt. Two interventions involved predominantly nuclear family members: spouses/partners, parents, siblings, and children (Rajalin et al, 2009; Sun et al, 2014).…”

“…There was a decline in emotional over-involvement and perceived criticism from and toward a family member following the FCs program, although there were no significant changes in regard to emotional involvement (Rajalin et al, 2009). A greater proportion of families with a suicide prevention plan following a suicide attempt became aware that no preventive action was taken before an attempt; however, there were no differences in regard to family relationship or perceived financial burden between families with and without a plan (Cho et al, 2015).…”

“…No qualitative studies were found. Two studies were conducted in the UK (Cottrell et al, 2018; Harrington et al, 1998), two in the United States (Asarnow et al, 2015; Rotheram-Borus et al, 1996, 2000), and one each in South Korea (Cho et al, 2015), Sweden (Rajalin et al., 2009), and Taiwan (Sun et al, 2014). Studies were divided into two categories: interventions for informal carers following a suicide attempt and interventions for persons who have made a suicide attempt, which involved their informal carers.…”

Gender-Specific Factors Associated with Suicide Attempts among the Community-Dwelling General Population with Suicidal Ideation: the 2013 Korean Community Health Survey

“…Although many risk factors for suicide attempts have been identified (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), more effective intervention strategies for mental health and suicide prevention can be developed when the gender-specific underlying risk factors for suicide attempts are better understood (16). To our knowledge, however, few studies have examined gender-specific risk factors for suicide attempts in a large general population.…”

The Anion Gap is a Predictive Clinical Marker for Death in Patients with Acute Pesticide Intoxication

“…The ingestion of pesticides is a common method of suicide in many Asian countries ( 1 2 3 ). Patients who have ingested pesticides are candidates for aggressive therapy because their chance for survival improves when adequate therapy is instituted ( 4 ). To provide adequate therapy, it is important to have an in-depth knowledge of clinical markers that can predict the clinical outcome.…”