Relationship between Social Support and Mental Disorders in Patients Admitted for Attempted Suicide to an Emergency Hospital

Abstract

Objective: the primary objective of this research was to identify mental disorders in patients admitted for attempted suicide to the Hospital de pronto socorro de porto alegre, Brazil. The secondary objective was to investigate suicide attempt methods; and mental disorders as well as family history of psychiatric diseases. Methods: a case-control study, where participants were selected by convenience among adult patients. data collection was carried out over a period of seven months. The following instruments were used: Beck depression inventory, Mini neuropsychiatric interview, and Medical outcomes study. Results: 84 subjects met inclusion criteria (28 suicide attempt and 56 other reasons). Among the subjects with suicide attempt, 94.4% showed high risk for a new attempt and the majority presented a diagnosis of Major depressive disorder, while in the group admitted for other reasons, no patient presented high suicide risk or incidence of depressive disorder. suicide attempt methods showed strong correlation with gender: 87% of the women resorted to exogenous intoxication, while men tried more violent methods 54%. likewise, it was found that risk behaviors in traffic can be related to emotional problems linked to commemorative dates Conclusions: the data suggest that the severity of the disorder interferes with the role of social support, as it has been verified that the greater the severity of the disorder, the smaller the social support network. Hence, the disorder overlaps with social support; that is, social support helps when the disorder is severe.