Mood Emot.  2020 Nov;18(3):90-99. 10.35986/me.2020.18.3.90.

Suicidal Behaviors Among Public Community Healthcare Center Registrants: A Comparison of Mental and General Healthcare Center Registrants in Korea

• Lee K
• Song HR
• Lee SY
• Jun TY
• Lee HK
• Jeong JH
• Jo SJ

• KMID: 2525670
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.35986/me.2020.18.3.90

Abstract

Background
The study examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among registrants of public community healthcare centers and compared between the characteristics of mental and general healthcare center (GHC) registrants.
Methods
The study measured lifetime suicidal behaviors, psychosocial variables, psychiatric comorbidities, and suicide related factors.
Results
A total of 132 (73.7%) and 126 (42.3%) mental and GHC registrants, respectively, reported a history of suicidal ideation; whereas 64 (35.8%) and 29 (9.7%) of mental and GHC registrants, respectively, reported a history of suicidal attempts. Scores of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for both suicidal ideation groups were above the severe level, although only 2% of GHC group recognized their diagnoses of depressive disorders.
Conclusion
The study observed high suicidal risk among the mental and GHC registrants. High BDI scores and unevaluated depression under score the need for screening and provision of appropriate early interventions in public community healthcare centers.

Keyword

Suicide; Depression; Public community healthcare center