Citation

Cho HD, Kim NY, Gil HW, Jeong DS, Hong SY. J. Korean Med. Sci. 2015; 30(7): 974-978.

Affiliation

Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Korean Academy of Medical Science)

DOI

10.3346/jkms.2015.30.7.974

PMID

26130963

PMCID

PMC4479954

Abstract

The frequency and extent of the existence of a familial suicide prevention plan may differ across cultures. The aim of this work was, therefore, to determine how common it was for families to develop a suicide prevention plan and to compare the main measures used by families with and without such a plan, after an attempt to commit suicide was made by a member of a family living in a rural area of Korea. On the basis of the presence or absence of a familial suicide prevention plan, we compared 50 recruited families that were divided into 2 groups, with Group A (31 families) employing a familial suicide prevention plan after a suicide attempt by a family member, and Group B (19 families) not doing so. The strategy that was employed most frequently to prevent a reoccurrence among both populations was promoting communication among family members, followed by seeking psychological counseling and/or psychiatric treatment. Contrary to our expectation, the economic burden from medical treatment after a suicide attempt did not influence the establishment of a familial suicide prevention plan. It is a pressing social issue that 38% (19 of 50) of families in this study did not employ a familial suicide prevention plan, even after a family member had attempted suicide. Regional suicide prevention centers and/or health authorities should pay particular attention to these patients and their families.

Language: en