[Most frequently used drugs in suicide attempts and their organic complications in a tertiary care hospital].

BACKGROUND

A suicide attempt is an intentional act not resulting in death but carried out with the expectation of dying. Unlike completed suicide, suicide attempts are underreported. There is limited information regarding their clinical characteristics and organic complications.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the most used drugs in suicide attempts and describe the associated organ complications in a third-level hospital.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Case series. A descriptive, observational, and retrospective study was conducted from 2019-2023. It included patients hospitalized due to intentional drug overdose derived from suicide attempt, and cases of accidental ingestion were excluded. Clinical and psychiatric variables, as well as organic complications were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 35 patients were included: 74.3% women, 25.7% men, aged 18-77 years. Among them, 68.6% had major depressive disorder, 17.14% had anxiety disorder, and 11.42% had borderline personality disorder. The most frequently used drugs were benzodiazepines (28.57%), opioids, and antiepileptics (14.28%). The most frequent complications were neurological (40%), renal (25.7%), and respiratory (22.9%). Multiple organ dysfunction occurred in 31.4% of patients. Three patients died: 2 due to nosocomial infections and 1 directly related to drug overdose.

CONCLUSIONS

Benzodiazepines and opioids were the most frequently used drugs in suicide attempts. The main complications were neurological, renal, and respiratory, with a considerable risk of multiple organ dysfunction.