• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2024

Background: Although Korea ranks first in the suicide rate of elderly individuals, there is limited research on those who attempt suicide, with preventive measures largely based on population-based studies. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics of elderly individuals who attempted suicide with those of younger adults who visited the emergency department after suicide attempts and identified the factors associated with lethality in the former group. Methods: Individuals who visited the emergency department after a suicide attempt from April 1, 2017, to January 31, 2020, were included. Participants were classified into two groups according to age (elderly, ≥65 years; adult, 18-64 years). Among the 779 adult patients, 123 were elderly. We conducted a chi-square test to compare the demographic and clinical features between these groups and a logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors for lethality in the elderly group. Results: Most elderly participants were men, with no prior psychiatric history or suicide attempts, and had a higher prevalence of underlying medical conditions and attributed their attempts to physical illnesses. Being sober and planning suicide occurred more frequently in this group. In the elderly group, factors that increased the mortality rate were biological male sex (p<0.05), being accompanied by family members (p<0.05), and poisoning as a suicide method (p<0.01). Conclusion: Suicide attempts in elderly individuals have different characteristics from those in younger adults and are associated with physical illness. Suicides in the former group are unpredictable, deliberate, and fatal. Therefore, tailored prevention and intervention strategies addressing the characteristics of those who are elderly and attempt suicide are required.

• 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 Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.69-80
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• 2023

Purpose: Suicide ranks among the top causes of death among youth in South Korea. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of suicidal individuals treated at emergency departments between 2011 and 2020. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from January 2011 to December 2020 in the Injury Surveillance Cohort, a prospective registry. Patients' sex, age, mortality, methods of self-harm, and previous suicide attempts were analyzed. The methods of self-harm were categorized into falls, asphyxiation, blunt injuries, penetrating injuries, poisoning, and others. Sub-groups with and without poisoning were compared. Results: The proportion of self-harm/suicide attempts increased from 2.3% (2011) to 5.0% (2020). The mortality rate decreased from 10.8% (2011) to 6.3% (2020). Poisoning was the most common method (61.7%). Mortality rates ranged from 42.0% for asphyxiation to 0.2% for blunt injuries. Individuals in their 20s showed a marked increase in suicide/self-harm attempts, especially in the last three years. A large proportion of decedents in their 70s or older (52.6%) used poisoning as a method of suicide. The percentage of individuals with two or more previous attempts rose from 7.1% (2011) to 19.7% (2020). The death rates by poisoning decreased from 7.7% (2011) to 2.5% (2020). Conclusion: Our findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions and suicide prevention policies. Managing and reducing suicide and self-harm in emergency settings will require a focus on poisoning, the 10-29 age group, and the elderly. This paper will be valuable for future policies aiming to reduce the societal burden of suicide and self-harm.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.23-33
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• 2008

Purpose: Internet is one of the essential tools in South Korean adolescent life. Recently, researchers suggest that Internet use is positively associated with teens' mental health problems such as depression and suicide. Thus, this study explored a relationship between Internet use and suicide ideation among South Korean adolescents. Methods:　Secondary data, the three-wave Korean Youth Panel Survey, were analyzed. First, in terms of the levels of Internet use and suicidal ideation, t-test was used for examining a gender difference, and Analysis of Variance were used for examining differences across three points in time(waves 2 - 4). Second, logistic analysis was performed to examine the significant association between Internet use and suicide ideation after controlling for the other factors' effects. In this analysis, Fixed Effect Regression Method(FERM) was incorporated as well. FERM was useful in adjusting for the effects of time-invariant factors even without measuring them. As a result, it was possible to obtain more accurate findings. Results: Adolescent depression was an important factor influencing the association between Internet use and suicide ideation. After controlling for the effect of depression, the relationship between Internet use and suicide ideation was no longer statistically significant. Conclusion:　As a proxy to identify teens who are obsessed with suicide ideation, levels of Internet use do not seem useful. Instead, it is necessary to examine teens' access to websites related to suicide.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.276-288
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• 2011

Purpose: The rate of suicide is rising most rapidly among high school students. Teenage suicide is no longer just a personal problem. This study investigated and classified high school students concerning in South Korea with an aim of identifying suicidal ideation and types of teenage suicide. Method: A Q-methodology was used to identify factors in suicidal attitude of high school students. A Q-sample was collected from in-depth and objective interviews and literature reviews. A P-sample consisted of 37 high school students : selected Q-samples were sorted on a 9-point scale. Results: Three types of suicidal attitudes were evident among high school students : abomination(Type 1), understanding of the situation (type 2), and social responsibility(type 3). Conclusion: Precautionary measures against high school students suicide should be formulated according to the types of attitudes toward suicide in south Korea.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.37-49
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• 2021

Purpose : This study aims to identify nurses' attitudes toward patients hospitalized after attempting suicide and inform directions for research and interventions to establish a therapeutic environment. Methods : For integrative review, the five stages suggested by Whittemore and Knafl were followed. Articles and theses published before February 2021 were searched using eight databases and a manual search. The search terms were suicide, self-harm, emergency department (ED), intensive care unit (ICU), nurses, and attitudes. Results : Five studies met the inclusion criteria; three of them were descriptive studies, one was a qualitative study, and one a mixed-method study. In most studies (80%), the participants were ED nurses. ED/ICU nurses showed positive or neutral attitudes toward patients. All studies suggested that suicide-related education programs are needed to increase nurses' positive attitudes such patients. Conclusion : More research is required on ICU nurses' attitudes toward patients who have attempted suicide, and efforts to identify various aspects of such attitudes are necessary. In addition, suicide education programs and support from trained psychiatric personnel should be provided to establish a therapeutic environment.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.67 no.1
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• pp.55-81
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• 2015

With the psychological autopsy, an analytical method of backward reasoning for individual case of suicide, this study aims to investigate the causes and route of individual suicides in Korean rural areas, which has long had a bad reputation of world-wide high rate of suicide. The compound approach of the study which combines the psychological and socio-cultural aspects concerning suicide simultaneously, is able to make this study clearly distinguished from existing related inquires and results. Analysis of 25 suicide cases could make clear the typical characters of risky group of suicide in rural area and elucidate the obvious socio-cultural impact on suicide respective of several suicide type, for example, male and female elderly, homecoming youth etc. Then, the psycho-social interactive model to account for rural area suicide adequately could be established as a final result of the study. In addition, based on the findings of the study, several counter-plans to prevent the suicide-committing of the risky groups are suggested in short-term and long-term bases as well.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.264-268
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• 2017

South Korea has the highest reported suicide rate among all countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Nitrogen is a colorless, odorless and nontoxic gas. Nitrogen gas has, however, been recently used as a method of attempted suicide, its nontoxity notwithstanding. We herein report on an unusual case involving a 30-year-old male who presented with symptoms after a suicide attempt by nitrogen inhalation. Diffusion-weighted imaging of his brain was showed curvilinear high signal intensity in the bilateral frontal and right occipital cortices, with subtle low apparent diffusion coefficient value. In addition, T2-weighted images and fluid attenuated inversion recovery images revealed subtle high signal intensity in the bilateral frontal cortices, basal ganglia and occipital cortices with contrast enhancement.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.37 no.7
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• pp.1027-1038
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• 2007

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a nurse presence program on suicide prevention for elders with chronic disease. Method: The subjects were recruited from two different elderly institutions located in D city and K province, Korea. Twenty subjects in the control group received no intervention and nineteen subjects in the experimental group received a nurse presence program. Result: There were more significant decreases in suicide ideation, and the cortisol level and increases in life satisfaction in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: According to the above results, a nurse presence program for elders with a chronic disease decreased stressful events like suicide ideation and increased self esteem through therapeutic interaction. These findings suggest that this program can be used as an efficient independent nursing intervention for elders in a critical situation.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.231-242
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to identify the rate of suicidal attempts, investigate difference of rate of suicidal attempts between students and delinquents, and examine correlation between personality, family dynamics, environment, and suicidal attempts among Korean adolescents. Method: Data were collected through questionnaire surveys. Internal consistencies for this questionnaire ranged from 0.63 to 0.88. The subject used in this study consisted of 922(delinquent : 367, student : 555), using the proportional stratified random sampling method. Statistical methods employed were Chi-square and t-test. Results: \circled1 The rate of suicidal attempts were 10.8%, and the highest peak age of suicidal attempt was 17-18 year old (16.9%). \circled2 Delinquents(19.6%) showed a higher rate of suicidal attempts than students (5.1%). Among the students, girls (43.3%) showed a higher rate of suicidal attempt than boys (19.1%). Whereas, boys (80.9%) showed a higher rate of suicidal attempt than girls (56.7%) among delinquents. \circled3 Those who attempt suicide have more familial problem such as incest, psychosis, depression, attempted suicide, committed suicide, and alcoholism in their family. They also have more dysfunctional family dynamics, environment, and maladaptive personalities than non-attempters. Conclusions: Suicide and suicidal behaviors are multifaceted events. For suicide prevention, independent assessments of variables such as familial problems, personality, family dynamics, and environment must be considered.