Rom J Leg Med [21] 193-196 [2013]
DOI: 10.4323/rjlm.2013.193
© 2013 Romanian Society of Legal Medicine
193
Statistical profle of suicide attempts
Oana Cornuţiu
*
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Abstract: General aspects. Due to stigma and lack of codifcation for attempted suicide, no country in the world has a
rigorous statistics of attempted suicide.
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the statistic profle of attempted suicide in Bihor County.
Material and method. All the attempted suicide cases that were directed to the psychiatric units in Oradea, Bihor
County, Romania for the frst 6 months of 2012, different deliberate self-harm cases by different methods and self - poisoning
which arrived at the emergency care unit (ECU) at the county hospital, as well as suicide cases in the same geographical area, in
the same time frame were analyzed.
Results. The suicide rate was of 23.16 cases in 100,000 inhabitants (estimated of being of 46.16 in 100,000 inhabitants
yearly). Compared to complete suicide this means a 2.57 lower rate than the one suggested by the WHO ( of 10-20 times suicide
rate), with certain specifc features: a peak of attempted suicide rate in the month of June. The profle of the majority suicidal
tendencies is described as follows: women aged 15-24, unemployed, desperately resorting to drug overdose.
Key Words: suicide, attempted suicid, statistical profle, occurrence.
*) Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Oradea, Clinic of Psychiatry, Oradea, Romania
* Corresponding author: MD GTA, 26 Louis Pasteur Street, 410154, Oradea, Romania, Phone/ fax: 004-0259-
413785, E-mail: ocornutiu@gmail.com
E
pidemiological measurements are signifcant
only when related to the health data in the
general population or correlated to other well defned
groups of population. All epidemiologic data make sense
only when compared. The more complex the comparison
becomes, the more the causative synthesis aims more
risk causing factors [1]. From this point of view, human
behavior has a maximum of complexity, with genetic,
biological, social and cultural roots [2]. Attempted
suicide or non-lethal suicidal behavior is a branch of
the suicidal behavior. Its occurrence was estimated by
WHO [3] by comparison with complete suicide as being
10-20 times more frequent. Due to stigma, to the lack
of a code classifcation system for diseases, but also to
other factors, there are huge obstacles in the collection of
rigorous data about attempted suicide. Actually, there is
no country which has rigorous data which were directly
gathered. The American or European studies (continental
studies) were conducted on samples from different
towns or areas, then conclusions were drawn which were
globally generalized [3-10]. That is why there is such a
vast estimation range: 10-20 times higher than that of
complete suicide. De facto, suicidal behavior, i.e. non-
lethal suicide (attempted suicide or parasuicide) has a
highly variable occurrence depending on geography,
time, culture or specifc population groups.
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the
attempted suicides and their statistic profle in Bihor
County.
MAteriAl And Method
For the present paper, for six months
(01.01.2012-30.06.2013) all emergency calls for medical
help for attempted suicide named as such, deliberate self-