• Anxiety and mood
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 2012

Introduction : Suicide in Korea has increased to 31.2 persons per 100,000 population, the world's highest level. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the world, but in Korea, it is 4th leading cause of death. Therefore suicide is a serious problem in Korea. Many suicide prevention strategies have been proposed. Despite efforts to prevent suicides in Korea, a steady increases in the number of suicides has been brought into question the effectiveness of suicide prevention activities in Korea. Methods : Strategy of restricting suicide methods in many countries was reviewed. Systematic approach to restrict suicidal methods in Korea is proposed. Results : Restricting suicide methods is one of the effective suicide prevention strategies employed in the UK and other countries. Since many suicides occur impulsively, suicide attempt lethality is an important factor in determining the rate of deaths in suicidal attempts. Physical restriction of suicide methods is important in preventing suicide, but restriction of cognitive access to information about suicide and suicide method is more important in preventing suicide. In particular hanging is one of the most common methods of suicides in Korea, it is crucial to develop strategies to prevent suicide by hanging cognitively. Also information about suicide should be properly controlled. To do this, suicide news reporting guidelines should be observed, and website makers whose websites provoke thoughts about suicide should be more strictly sanctioned. Conclusion : Restricting suicide methods along with other suicide prevention plans may be the most effective way to prevent suicide in Korea.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.129-140
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• 2023

Objectives: Suicide rate in South Korea is one of the major public health concerns. This study examined the factors influencing the suicide methods of people who committed suicide in Gyeonggi-do, which accounts for one-fourth of the population of South Korea. Methods: This study analyzed the data of a total of 13,945 suicide deaths in Gyeonggi-do over a five-year period (2016-2020) provided by the Statistics Korea and the influence of social and demographic characteristics on the analyzed suicide methods. The differences in suicide methods according to the social and demographic characteristics of suicide victims were compared and analyzed through chi-squared, and items with significant differences in univariate tests were analyzed by multiple logisitic regression analysis. Results: Among suicide deaths, the most common method of suicide was hanging (52.4%). In particular, women, were employed, and stayed at home were higher risk of being hanged. The second most common method of suicide was leaping (17.7%). Women under the age of 30, those with a college degree or higher, those who were not working, time of death (6-12), and those outside the home were more likely to choose to take the leap. The third most common method of suicide was gas poisoning (15.8%). Young people under the age of 65, college graduates or higher, without a spouse, were employed, and spring season were at increased risk of choosing gas poisoning. Conclusions: The results highlight the need for policies that consider risk factors such as gender, age, education, marital status, employments status, time of suicide, and place of suicide in order to block access to suicide methods for suicide victims in Gyeonggi-do.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.135-139
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• 2013

Objective : This study was conducted to examine the relationship between the annual changes of suicide methods and suicide rates in South Korea. We compared the suicide methods in South Korea with those in six other OECD countries, Japan, Finland, France, United States, Canada and Australia. Methods : Data of suicide rates and methods since the year 2000 were obtained from the official electronic mortality data published by the seven countries and from the World Health Organization [WHO] mortality database. We compared the correlation between suicide methods and suicidal rates in South Korea using Spearman's correlation test. Results : The proportion of hanging steadily increased, whereas self-poisoning steadily decreased from 2000 to 2011. The increased use of hanging was associated with the increase of suicide rates in South Korea. The preference for jumping as a suicide method in South Korea can be notably compared to that of other countries. Conclusion : Preference use of lethal methods, such as hanging, may play a great role in the increase of suicide rates in South Korea. The limitation of physical and cognitive access to lethal methods can be an effective suicide prevention strategy.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2018

Purpose: The Korean government has tried to decrease the suicide death rate over the last decade. Suicide attempts, particularly non-fatal attempts, are the most powerful known risk factor for a completed suicide. An analysis of suicide attempt methods will help establish the effective preventive action of suicide. Fit prevention according to the method of suicide attempt may decrease the incidence of suicide death. Self-poisoning is suggested as a major method of both suicide attempts and suicide death. The aim of this study was to determine if a self-poisoning patient is a suitable target for the prevention of the suicide. Methods: This was retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort, which included patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) after a self-harm or suicide attempt from Jan 2013 to Dec 2017. The proportion of methods in suicide attempts, psychological consultation, and fatality according to the suicide attempt method were analyzed. The types of poison were also analyzed. Results: Poisoning was the most common method of suicide attempts (52.1%). The rate of psychological consultations were 18.8% for all patients and 29.1% for poison patients (p<0.001). The rate of mortality in poisoning was 0.6%. Psychological consultation was performed more frequently in admission cases than discharged cases. The most common materials of poisons was psychological medicines and sedatives that had been prescribed at clinics or hospital. Conclusion: Self-poisoning is a major method of suicide attempt with a high rate of psychiatric consultation, low mortality rate, versus others methods. The prevention of suicide death for suicide attempts may focus on self-poisoning, which is the major method of suicide attempts. A suitable aftercare program for self-poisoning may be an effective method for preventing suicide if an early diagnosis and management of psychiatric disorders through psychiatric consultation can be made, and early connection to social prevention program for non-fatal patients are possible.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.80-91
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• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to identify relationships among knowledge and skills about suicide prevention, attitudes toward suicide, and burnout of suicide prevention work of nurses at mental health welfare centers. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed-method research was conducted. For the quantitative study, the subjects (nurses) were 133 nurses executing suicide prevention work. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 25.0 program. For the qualitative research, 13 nurses with high burnout scores were interviewed. The data were analyzed using theme analysis method. Results: Quantitative results showed the average burnout of suicide prevention work was 54.62 ± 12.51. The burnout of suicide prevention work had significant correlations with attitudes toward suicide (r = .30, p < .001) and suicide prevention skills (r = - .18, p = .037). Qualitative results showed six themes related to burnout of suicide prevention work. They were 'feeling a lack of confidence in one's suicide counselling skills', 'feeling of the limits of one's ability to cope with a suicide crisis', 'feeling regret for not being able to help the clients', 'being over-empathetic to the clients', 'Not being able to understand the clients because the subjects (nurses) opposes committing suicide', and 'thinking that the suicidal thoughts of suicide attempters do not improve'. Conclusion: To reduce burnout of nurses' suicide prevention work at mental health welfare centers, there is a need to develop an educational program considering nurses' attitudes toward suicide and one to enhance their confidence in suicide prevention skills.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2022

Objectives: Suicide is the major public mental health concerns all over the world. The comparison of suicide attempters and suicide completers could be the fundamental evidence for the suicide prevention. The aim of this study is to explore the differences between suicide attempters and suicide completers in terms of the stressors, suicide methods, and psychiatric diagnosis. Methods: Two types of secondary data were collected for the analyses. Data of the suicide attempters (n = 680) were gathered by intensive reviewing the medical records of Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Data of suicide completers (n = 11,722) were collected by the psychological autopsy data which were gathered by Korean Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicidal methods, psychiatric disorders and stressors before suicidal attempt were compared between suicide attempter and completers. Results: Suicide completers were older and male predominant compared to suicidal attempt. Hanging or gas intoxication were more commonly used in the suicide completion, while wrist cutting or drug intoxication were more common in suicide attempters. All types of stressors were found to be high in suicide completers than suicide attempters. However, the proportion of economic and physical stress were greater in suicide completers, while the proportion of family stress were greater in suicide attempters. According to the recorded diagnoses, the rates of depressive disorders, sleep-wake disorders, substance-related disorders were higher in suicide completers, while the rates of anxiety disorders and trauma- and stressor-related disorders, bipolar and related disorders and somatic symptom disorders were higher in suicide attempters. However, after controlling the gender and age, there were no significant differences in diagnosis between suicide attempters and suicide completers. Conclusion: These findings implicate that suicide attempters and completers differed in suicide methods and type of stress. The results suggests that economic stressors, physical illness might raise the risk of suicide completion.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.177-184
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• 2020

Objectives: This study aims to examine the effect of adolescent suicide survivors' experience on suicide death risk, and the effect of referral to mental health services (hereafter referral) in this regard. Methods: This study used the data of 878 suicide-deceased and suicide-attempted adolescents aged 8-19 years, managed by the Suicide and School Mental Health Institute from 2016 to 2018. Results: Regression analysis for main effects showed that although suicide experience had no direct effect on suicide death, non-referral status was associated with a greater risk of death by suicide. While the "non-suicide survivor with non-referral" and "suicide survivor with non-referral" groups showed 1.87 [adjusted odds ratio=1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21-2.89] and 4.59 (adjusted odds ratio=4.59, 95% CI=2.02-10.42) times higher odds of suicide death, respectively, the "suicide survivor with referral" group showed no difference compared to the "non-suicide survivor with referral" group. Conclusion: From these findings, there is a need to strengthen referral to mental health services and apply complicated grief treatment to improve the mental health of adolescent suicide survivors.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2009

Purpose: Suicide attempts are known to be influenced by mass media reports. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mass media reporting celebrity suicides on an increase of intentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and suicide attempts. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the consecutive patients who presented with suicide attempts to the Emergency Department of Ajou University Hospital during a 24 month period. We obtained the demographic data, any past history of suicide attempt and the methods of suicide attempts from the medical records of the suicide attempters. Time series analysis was conducted for evaluating the influence of mass media reporting of celebrity suicide on the suicide rates. Results: We finally enrolled 770 patients during the study period. The total number of suicide attempts by CO poisoning was 18 and the average number of suicide attempts by CO was $0.33{\pm}0.73$ per week. All of the suicide attempts by CO poisoning occurred after a celebrity committed suicide using CO from burning charcoal. Conclusion: This study showed that celebrity suicide by CO poisoning resulted in the Werther effect, which made the rate of intended CO poisoning increase, and the study provided further evidence for the need to actively restrain mass media reporting of suicide to decrease the Werther effect.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2009

Purpose: By analyzing factors related to suicide ideation of Korean middle and high school students, the purpose of this study was to multi-dimensionally understand suicide ideation of Korean middle and high school students and arrange the plans to prevent suicide. Methods: This study used and analyzed the data on ‘The 3rd (Year2007) Korea Youth Health Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYHRBWS)' conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, we analyzed 74,698 respondents in total. SPSS 12.0 Program was used to analyze the survey. Descriptive statistics, Chi-Square Test and multivariate logistic regression were also used as research methods. Results: 23.8% of the Korean middle and high school students had suicide ideation during the last one year. Girls had higher possibility of suicide ideation by 1.51 times compared to boys. Students with poor academic achievement had more suicide ideation. In terms of health characteristics, students who perceived themselves as not healthy, and students with short weekday sleeping hours, more drinking experience and more smoking experience had more suicide ideation than others. Furthermore, students who perceived themselves as overweight or obese had more suicide ideation than other students. In terms of mental characteristics, students with high level of stress, low level of happiness and depression had more suicide ideation. Conclusion: As a result of this study, we found out that the factor that had the biggest influence on suicide ideation of Korean middle and high school students was depression. Consequently, active supports and policies to decrease suicide ideation of Korean middle and high school students are necessary. Therefore, active interviews, education for suicide prevention, and periodical screening inspection should be introduced in schools.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.7-16
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• 2023

Objectives This study aimed to review the Korean Constitution articles 14 and 20 of the "Law on suicide prevention" and investigate public perceptions of specific improvements to suicide prevention policies using results from the Korean 2018 National Survey on Suicide. Methods The questionnaire was designed to analyzing the act restricts sharing of patient information between hospitals, making it difficult to track suicide attempts. The questionnaire was also designed to suggest further medical and normative criteria for objective judgment of continuous follow-up utilizing suicide risk evaluations and proportional principle review that consider patients' and medical staff's basic rights. Results This study identified the result of the 1500 respondents, 79.1% believed that Korea should allow suicide prevention management to be implemented without requiring individual consent to protect suicide attempters. Conclusions According the results, I propose the following criteria for policy improvement: use of anonymized information and non-profit research for technical and ethical considerations, access to medical information only for therapeutic purposes, and use of surgical severity assessment criteria appropriate for Korea.