Evaluation of Attempted-Suicide Management in a Rural District of Kwazulu-Natal‪.‬

The number of suicide attempts rather than completed suicides has increased, mostly in young people under 25 years of age. (1) Correct management of attempted suicide is of crucial importance as mismanagement can fail to prevent further attempts, which could eventually result in completed suicide. Lack of proper management protocols could potentially contribute to improper evaluation of these patients. The following aspects are critical in the management of attempted-suicide patients. Prompt physical assessment and physical examination must be done to prevent life-threatening complications. The presence of medical conditions causing psychiatric symptoms that might have prompted the person to attempt suicide must also be excluded. Some medical conditions are associated with an increased risk of suicide. (2) Prompt psychiatric assessment needs to be done immediately the person regains consciousness. This will help to determine whether any psychiatric illness is present and to establish whether the person is on any psychotropic medication. (3) Family intervention is necessary since lack of communication and problem-solving mechanisms in the family may precipitate a suicide attempt. (1) Good family support is one of the major factors reducing risk of suicide. Wassenaar4 found that over a 3-year period following family therapy there were no hospital readmissions of patients who attempted suicide, while in the group where there was no family intervention the readmission rate was higher.