The Socio-Psychiatric Study on Attempted Suicides

일부(一部) 자살기도자(自殺企圖者)에 대한 사회정신의학적(社會精神醫學的) 조사연구(調査硏究)

The socio-psychiatric study and personality analysis by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory on attempted suicides with drug intoxication in Seonsan-Gun and Cheongdo-Gun of Kyoungsang buk-Do was attempted to identify overall picture of attempted suicides and to detect some characteristics of personality. The total of 93 suicide attempted cases which were brought to the local clinics for the past 3 years from February, 1981 to February,1984 were sampled among them. The socio-psychiatric study and MMPI were performed with 45 attempters possible to be interviewed. The personalities of a group which answered "Still have the desire occasionally" or "Don't know about the present attitude toward suicide was compared with those of the other group who answered "Will not do it agagin". The results were as follows; 1) The sex ratio of the total attempters (93 cases) were 138.5. The highest rate by age group was found in the 3rd decade to be 27 cases. On the other hand, the sex ratio of interviewed cases were 136.8 and the highest rate was found in the age group of 50-59. 2) For the common characteristics of majority other than sex, 55.7% of cases were graduated primary school, and 62.2% were engaged in agriculture. 3) Except the fact that more of the attempted suicides happened during summer, there were no seasonal variation among other seasons. 4) The places selected for the attempted suicides were the houses in majority of cases (98%). Most of cases (53.3%) were found immediately after the attempt and 24.4% within one hour. For the poison taken, 86.7 took a sort of herbicides or insecticides, 55.6% were admitted to local clinics for only one day and 20% for two days. 5) The most common precipitating factors of the attempted suicides were family trouble and financial poverty. 6) The psychodynamic motives of the attempters were impulsive hostility(35.6%), abandonment(33.3%), guilt feeling (11.1%), manipulation and attention seeking (8.9%) and others. 7) In regard to their present attitude toward suicide, 29 cases (64.4%) expressed that they would never do such an act again, 37.8% of cases expressed that they really wanted to die at the time when they attempted. 8) The Psychopathic deviate, Paranoia, Depression, Schizophrenia scores were significantly higher in the attempters group who answered "Don't know" or "Possibly" for the question of "Will you attempt suicide again?" Than the group who answered" will not do it again".