Long-term results and quality of life after parasuicidal multiple blunt trauma.

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluates the somatic, socioeconomic, and psychiatric long-term results, as well as the factors for adverse outcome, in a significant subset of patients with severe multiple injuries resulting from attempted suicide.

DESIGN

The follow-up study 6.1 +/- 3 (SD) yrs after trauma was based on prospectively documented data of patients with multiple injuries.

SETTING

Level I university trauma center in a major German city.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN

RESULTS

Data derived from thorough physical and psychiatric evaluations. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale served to describe psychiatric outcome.

PATIENTS: In a series of 539 severely injured patients (Abbreviated Injury Score in two regions > or = 3), 65 (12%) attempted suicides were reported (Injury Severity Score, 40 +/- 15; age, 38 +/- 18 yrs). Twenty-one patients of the study cohort died during the hospital stay, and six subjects died thereafter, none because of suicide. Three patients were lost to follow-up, resulting in 35 individuals eligible for examination. None of the latter had reattempted suicide. Seventeen (48%) had good or satisfactory outcomes reflected by absent or ambulatory psychiatric treatment, employment, normal psychiatric findings (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), and good psychosocial ability (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale). For eight patients (24%), the result was indeterminate. The adverse outcomes in ten patients (28%) were mainly influenced by the presence of chronic schizophrenia (n = 4), affective disorder (n = 2), or severe traumatic brain injury (n = 3).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the parasuicidal origin, the long-term results after severe trauma were good or satisfactory in approximately half the cases and without further suicide attempts in any of the patients. Good recovery of the parasuicidal patients in our study is approximately 20% lower than in an unselected group of patients with multiple injuries and may be attributed mainly to the underlying chronic psychiatric disease.