Use of ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Code V62.89 (Other Psychological or Physical Stress, Not Elsewhere Classified) Following a Suicide Attempt.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the demographic, diagnostic, and service characteristics of veterans who received services for "other psychological or physical stress, not elsewhere classified" (ICD-9-CM V62.89) in the month following a suicide attempt.

METHODS

An electronic search of a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) suicide event reporting system identified 22,701 veterans who were survivors of a suicide attempt. Their clinical service encounter records were extracted from a VHA administrative database to identify those who received services related to V62.89.

RESULTS

Services related to V62.89 were provided to N=2,173 (9.6%) of the sample. Chaplains were the predominant service provider, identified in N=1,745 (80%) of the service encounters. Differences were noted between those who received services related to V62.89 from a chaplain or from another service provider.

CONCLUSIONS

V62.89 appears to be a focus of clinical concern for some veteran suicide attempt survivors. Additional research is needed to better understand any implications for suicide "postvention."