ABSTRACT

To determine reasons for adolescent suicide attempts and to investigate renal functions in adolescents admitted to Emergency Service after a suicide attempt.

A total of 148 cases were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected from hospital records and from “Emergency Services Suicide Attempts Data Form”. The variables of the study were sociodemographic characteristics, reasons for suicidal attempts, drugs used, medical procedures, and prognosis of the patients. The descriptive findings are presented as the evaluation of distributions. Chi-square and t-tests were used for analysis of variables.

The mean age of 148 adolescents was 16.7 years. 84.3% of subjects were female. Adolescent suicides were common in subjects older than 15 years of age. Suicides in January and July were more frequent than in the other months. The time interval between poisoning and admission to hospital was 0-3 hours. The leading cause of suicidal attempts was family problems (33.8%). Antidepressants were the most commonly used drugs in suicide attempts. Although, some ion disturbances were detected in some patients, renal failure or renal dysfunction was not observed in any subject.

Family problems were the most significant risk factor for adolescent suicide. Immediate transportation to emergency services and early treatment were important for the prevention of multiorgan deficiency and renal failure.