Spinal Cord Injuries Following Suicide Attempts

Self-harm and suicide before and after spinal cord injury: a systematic review

“…Kennedy et al 7 reported that 85% of suicide attempts in their sample were by falling. Papadakis et al 16 specified that 91% of suicide attempts were by falling from a building, 3% by falling from a window, 3% by falling from a bridge and 3% by falling inside the house. Anderson and Allan 15 reported that 95% of suicide attempts were by falling, of which 63% occurred in a residential setting and 23% on bridges.…”

“…Stanford et al 8 reported that, of their sample, 48% had a personality disorder, 29% had schizophrenia, 25% had major depression, 18% had chronic alcohol abuse, 18% had a mood disorder, 5% had bipolar disorder, 2% had schizoaffective disorder and chronic substance abuse was reported in 18%. Papadakis et al 16 reported that 38% of their sample had a diagnosis of schizophrenia, 25% had depression, 9% had reported history of alcohol/drug abuse, 3% had a personality disorder, 3% were bipolar and 3% had a psychiatric diagnosis not specified. Biering-Sørensen et al 9 reported that 62% of their sample had previously been hospitalised due to psychiatric issues.…”

“…Employment was reported as a potential risk factor in a number of studies. Of those who acquired their injury as a result of attempted suicide, Kennedy et al 7 reported that 42.3% were employed, Papadakis et al 16 reported an employment rate of 41% and Biering-Sorensen et al 9 reported unemployment in 62% of their sample; this included those receiving early pension.…”

“…High levels of unemployment have been found in studies of individuals who have attempted suicide. 7,9,16,28 As suggested, isolation caused by unemployment may impair social integration and psychological well-being and therefore increase the risk of suicidal behaviour. 28 Level of injury as a risk factor is portrayed by conflicting findings.…”

Suicide Attempts from Height and Injury Patterns: An Analysis of 64 Cases

“…Regarding the neurologic deficit, in 23 cases, the injury was incomplete (14 with ASIA C and 9 with ASIA D), and in 9 cases, it was complete (4 with ASIA A and 5 with ASIA B). Further details with our data of 32 patients with spinal cord injury as a result of deliberate self-harm have been published previously [34]. It seems that the neurological complications of spinal injuries were correlated with the increase of the height from which the fall occurred.…”