Evaluation of patients admitted to the pediatric emergency departments due to suicide attempts: A multicenter study from Türkiye.

BACKGROUND

Suicide is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adolescents and is increasingly recognized among younger children. Pediatric emergency departments (EDs) are critical points for the identification and management of suicide attempts. This study aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics, methods, and temporal trends of suicide attempts among children and adolescents presenting to pediatric EDs in Türkiye.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study across 29 pediatric EDs from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2022. Patients aged 8-18 years with a confirmed suicide attempt were included. Data collected included demographics, methods, psychiatric history, prior attempts, medications used in self-poisoning, psychiatric consultations, and outcomes. Statistical analyses included chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS

During the study period, 6004 suicide attempt presentations were identified among 9,736,825 ED visits (0.5/1000). The median age was 15 years (IQR: 14-16), with 78.8% female (female-to-male ratio 3.7:1). Most patients (92.9%) were aged 13-18 years. Self-poisoning was the predominant method (95.4%), commonly involving NSAIDs, paracetamol, SSRIs, and atypical antipsychotics; 23.5% ingested their own medications, 76.2% of which were psychotropics. A known psychiatric disorder was present in 36.4%, and 16.4% had a prior suicide attempt. Psychiatric consultation was obtained in 73% of cases. Hospitalization occurred in 89.8%, with 15.5% requiring intensive care. Eleven deaths were recorded.

CONCLUSIONS

Suicide attempts among children and adolescents are a significant and ongoing public health problem in Türkiye, with self-poisoning as the dominant method. The findings underscore the need for targeted prevention strategies, safe medication storage, and strengthened psychiatric services in pediatric EDs to improve outcomes for this high-risk population.