• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2006

Object : Nerve growth factor(NGF) is a protein involved in neuronal survival and plasticity in the central nervous system, which might play an important role in stress, depression and suicide. This study was performed to determine whether there is an alteration in plasma NGF concentrations in depressed patients with suicidal attempt. Methods : The subjects were 32 depressed patients who attempted suicide and admitted in emergency room. Forty-four hospitalized non-suicidal depressive patients and the 30 normal controls were closely matched with the suicidal group in terms of age and sex. Individuals in all 3 groups were evaluated independently by a semi-structured interview for the purpose of establishing a DSM-IV criteria diagnosis. The severity of depressive symptoms was evaluated using Hamilton depression rating scale(HDRS). The severity of the suicidal behavior was evaluated by Weisman and Worden's risk-rescue rating(RRR) system and the Lethality Suicide Attempt Rating Scale(LSARS). Plasma NGF level was measured by the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) method. Results : There were no statistically significant differences of the plasma NGF levels among groups. LSARS and RRR did not reveal any significant correlation with ${\beta}$-NGF level in suicidal depressive patients. Conclusion : This study do not support an association between ${\beta}$-NGF and suicidal depression. However it is necessary to investigate this association through other route such as postmortem brain.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.364-375
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to exploring the experiences of life amomg alcoholics who suicide attempts. The main question of this study is "what the meaning and essence of experiences of life amomg alcoholics with suicide attempts?" The qualitative research method was taken for widely understanding and lively writing experiences of life amomg alcoholics who suicide attempts in the connection of eheir lives. As results, 12 categories appeared from 5 themes as data analysis. The major themes could be analyzed as "Continuing a dark confines of the psychology, emotion", "encounter with worthless oneself of the loath to admit", "The trigger inciting to suicide", "The roots of the drinking and suicide -living with fate", "Holding up a string of life". Based on these results, the practical implications for the alcoholics with suicide attempts had been discussed.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.31-60
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• 2023

Purpose: This study explored the influencing factors on suicide-related behaviors (ideation, plans, and attempts) focusing on mental health problems (anxiety, depression, and loneliness) among Korean adolescents. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted with data from the 16th Korean Youth Health Behavior Survey collected from in 2020 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: After the adjustment of demographic characteristics and health risk behaviors, the influences of mental health problems on suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts showed the anxiety odds ratio (OR) for severe anxiety vs. minimal (OR 4.65, 4.67, and 3.75), depression (OR 4.27, 3.69, and 4.49), loneliness (OR 2.18, 1.96, and 1.96). Health risk behaviors (violence experience, drug use, stress, smoking, and drinking alcohol) and demographic variables (gender, school record, and socioeconomic status) were also significantly associated with suicide-related behaviors. Conclusion: Anxiety, depression, and loneliness were strong predictors of suicide-related behaviors. Early detection of suicide risks through screening for comprehensive mental health problems was recommended. Suicide prevention that considers the risk factors, including mental health problems and other risk factors, needs to be developed and implemented to reduce suicide risks among adolescents.

• 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 Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.8728-8737
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• 2015

The purpose of this study compared the clinical features of suicidal attempters who visit in the past and present of an emergency medical center, used as a basic data for clinical severity and suicide prevention research of future patients. The author conducted a retrospective analysis of the changed characteristics of suicidal attempters who visit an emergency medical center of Wonkwang University Hospital between from January $1^{st}$, 1998 to December $31^{th}$, 1998 and from August $1^{st}$, 2013 to July $31^{th}$, 2015. Factors related to increased occurrence was changed from male(1.1:1) in 1998 to female(1.3:1) in 2013-2015, from age of $2^{nd}$, $3^{rd}$, and above $6^{th}$ decade in 1998 to $3^{rd}-5^{th}$ decade in 2013-2015. Poisoning was the most common method of suicidal attempt(90.8%;1998, 72.7%;2013-2015), Mortality rate was changed from 16.9%(male 23.1%, female 10.0%) in 1998 to 13.8%(male 18.1%, female 10.5%) in 2013-2015. Among the suicidal attempters(total=516), 37 patients has recurred. But consultant of neuropsychiatric department was 48.3%, All suicidal attempters in future were necessarily neuropsychiatric consultant and continuously follow-up because all patients had recurrent suicide attempt, psychologic disorder, suicide rates are higher than in the general population.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.329-341
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• 2018

This study was a qualitative study performed to understand the nature and structure of the suicide attempt process experienced by maladjustment soldiers. The survey participants targeted 10 soldiers who entered 'Camp Green' due to lack of duty by the 00 Corps of ${\bigcirc}{\bigcirc}$ Prefecture. Data were collected by individual in-depth interviews from October 2016 to September 2017 and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The suicide attempt process by maladjusted soldiers was delineated into four categories such as 'A prison without bars', 'Walk on eggshells', 'A pretentious series of life', and 'A life of desperation'; 9 theme clusters; and 25 themes. As a result, maladjusted soldiers had a generally negative experience related to military culture. Soldiers who fail to adapt to military culture will show extreme behavior unless they are able to overcome their depression. Unless specific understanding of the suicide attempt process is attained, the suicide prevention policies of mission-maladjusted soldiers will be ineffective. The results of this study hope to serve as the basis for a suicide prevention and nursing intervention program.

• 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 Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.114-121
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• 2018

Objective: Although suicide is a serious public health concern for adolescents, there is a lack of studies that explore its risk factors in the Republic of Korea. The present study aims to investigate risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors in Korean adolescents. Methods: Participants consisted of 2258 middle and high school students who completed a series of questionnaires regarding suicide ideation or attempts, non-suicidal self-injuries, depression, impulsivity, drinking behaviors, and negative life events, including peer bullying. Results: Among the participants, 8.3% of students reported suicide ideation, while 3.2% reported a history of a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. Depression, peer-victimization, internet-related delinquency, and positive attitudes toward suicide were associated with suicidal ideations and attempts. Adverse life events were also associated with suicide ideation, but not attempts, while not living with both parents and poor family relationships were associated with suicide attempts, but not ideations. Non-suicidal self-injuries were associated with both suicide ideations and attempts. Students with suicidal ideations and attempts can be differentiated depending on the presence of self-injury. Conclusion: In addition to depression or behavioral problems, non-suicidal self-injuries and lack of support from family may also play significant roles in suicide attempts in adolescents. To facilitate the prevention of suicide in adolescents, longitudinal studies should be followed to confirm the risk factors identified in this study.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.308-317
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• 2017

This study aims to determine the current status of experiences of suicidal attempts of Korean women and to evaluate related factors and provide basic sources for distinguishing high risk group. The primary data of the 6th period of national health and nutrition survey by KCDC, between 2013 and 2015,wereutilized in this study.Women were selected;general characteristics, psychological characteristics, and relevant information of daily activities were collected. The collected data wereanalyzed by applying the complex sample analysis method,using the SPSS 20.0 program with an application of weighted values. The resultsof this study revealed that 1% of the study population had previously attempted suicide; the suicidal attempts in subjects with prior psychological counselling within 1 year was 5.25 times higher than those without prior counselling.Subjectswith too much stress were 14.92 times more likely to attempt suicide than those without stress. Moreover, subjects with higher-intensity work in daily lives was 4.85 times more likely to attempt suicide than those with less intense work. In addition, subjects who sat for longer period of time was 3.76 times more likely to attempt suicide. All of these were statistically significant. Therefore, these subjects should be considered as high risk for suicidal attempt.In order to prevent female suicide, guidelines that considers the psychological health status and daily activities are required. In addition, it is necessary to approach this issuewith individualized prevention programs as part of social policies.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.60-65
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• 2017

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been noted as a significant risk factor for possible suicide attempts. According to the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide, individuals can attempt suicide after they have acquired the capability to commit it. The acquired capability for suicide can be defined as one's habituated level to the pain and fear associated with suicidal behaviors. This is obtained through constant exposure to painful and provocative events, NSSIs being a prime example. This article reviews prior related studies to determine the extent to which the acquired capability for suicide can be utilized as a predictive factor for fatal suicide attempts following NSSIs. Our review finds a total of 11 studies that directly or indirectly support the claim that the acquired capability for suicide should be considered as a relevant factor linking NSSIs and suicide attempts. Given that NSSIs are most frequently observed in clinical settings, our findings suggest that the acquired capability for suicide will be a useful indicator for clinicians to predict the risk of future suicide attempts by patients.