Suicidal process, suicidal communication and psychosocial situation of young suicide attempters in a rural Vietnamese community

Abstract

The study aimed to explore the suicidal process, suicidal communication and psychosocial situation of young suicide attempters in a rural community in Hanoi, Vietnam. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, in a community setting, with 19 suicide attempters aged 15-24 who had been consecutively hospitalized in an intensive care unit. In 12 of 19 cases, the first pressing, distinct and constant suicidal thoughts appeared less than one day before the suicide attempt in question. However, distress and mild, fleeting suicidal thoughts had been present up to six months before the suicide attempt in 16 cases. Five respondents had a suicide plan one to three days before attempting suicide. Altogether, 13 engaged in some form of suicidal communication before their attempt. This communication was, however, difficult for outsiders to interpret. Twelve of the respondents were victims of regular physical abuse and 16 had suffered psychological violence for at least one year before attempting suicide. Eighteen of the respondents used pesticides or raticides in their suicide attempts. None sought advice or consultation in the community despite long-standing psychosocial problems. The strategy of reducing the availability of suicide means (e.g., pesticides or raticides) in Asian countries should be complemented with a long-term suicide-preventive strategy that targets school dropouts and domestic violence, and promotes coping abilities and communication about psychological and social problems as well as recognition of signs of distress and suicidal communication.

Confidence and Intentions to Help a Person at Risk of Suicide

“…Although some previous studies have asked about respondents’ intentions to assist a person at risk of suicide, this risk has always been overtly expressed, despite most suicide communications being indirect (Shand et al., ; Wasserman et al., ; Wolk‐Wasserman, ). Given the high number of community members exposed to close family members or friends at risk of suicide (Cerel et al., ; Maple et al., ), it is imperative to understand whether community members can recognize indirect signs of suicide risk and respond accordingly.…”

“…Between 58% and 85% of Australians know someone who has died by suicide, and about one‐third of these had a close relationship with that person (Maple et al., ). Between one‐third and one half of people who die by suicide (Isometsä, ), and a similar proportion who attempt suicide, communicate their suicidal intentions to loved ones (Paraschakis, Michopoulos, Christodoulou, Koutsaftis, & Douzenis, ; SANE Australia and University of New England, ; Wasserman et al., ; Wolk‐Wasserman, ). However, family members and friends can find it difficult to recognize suicide risk or may not know how to respond when a person close to them expresses their suicidal thoughts (Owen et al., ; Owens et al., , ).…”

“…Because indirect suicide communications can be difficult to recognize, family members and friends may not respond appropriately to those at risk (Owen et al., ; Owens et al., ). This is especially problematic as indirect suicide communications are far more common than direct communications of suicide risk (Shand et al., ; Wasserman et al., ; Wolk‐Wasserman, ).…”

Factors Contributing to Parasuicide among Patients Aged 18 - 35 Admitted at a National Psychiatric Hospital, Zimbabwe

“…It has been found that there is marked diurnal variation with regards to parasuicide, with an evening peak for nonviolent episodes [21]. In the study context, the time of the day did not make a difference to parasuicide as evidenced by almost equal distribution of times of day for parasuicide.…”

Mental Disorders and Communication of Intent to Die in Indigenous Suicide Cases, Queensland, Australia

“…Communication of intent is recognized as an important signal of suicide risk (Suominen, Isometsä, Henriksson, Ostamo, & Lönnqvist, 1997); however, the meaning and impact of this communication may differ across social‐cultural contexts (Eskin, 2003; Wasserman et al., 2008). A better identification and understanding of any signs of intent would be desirable, owing to the potential implications this may have in preventing suicidal behaviors.…”