• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.60-63
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• 2019

The rate of suicide is the 5th leading cause of death in Korea. Moreover, suicide is the 1st cause of death in from 2nd to 4th decade. In order to treat suicide attempters who have visited the emergency room and to prevent retries, it is necessary to understand the nature of the suicide and to take the right approach. Suicide is more than doubled in women, and retry rates are high among patients with a history of suicide. Suicidal means are throat, fall, gas poisoning, poisoning and drowning. All suicide attempters should suspect and treat cervical spine injury and airway management, and rapid hyperbaric oxygen therapy is recommended for carbon monoxide addicts. Interviewing a suicide attempter requires a sympathetic attitude and examines the underlying depression or adaptation disorders. Interdisciplinary care with mental health departments is necessary, and interventions in emergency roombased suicide attempt management work can be helpful to connect with the community.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2019

Objective: Suicide has recently become an important social problem. Thus, we analyzed prescription drugs that cause suicidal ideation. Methods: Of 156 drugs on the the Minister of Food and Drug Safty (MFDS) EZ-Drug site that had "suicide" listed as a side effect, 78 had "suicide" listed as a warning or contraindication; those 78 drugs were analyzed using data from the 2016 Health Insurance and Review and Assessment Services National Patient Sample (HIRA-NPS). Results: 51 "suicide risk" drugs was identified. Of all patients, 5.2% had received such drugs. The prescription rate was 0.8% of all prescriptions, accounting for 1.6% of all prescription days. From logistic regression analysis, the prescription rate for the drugs was approximately 1.1 times higher for women than for men. With regard to age, the prescription rate for patients 66 years and older was 15.5 times higher than those for patients 25-years and lower. With regard to medical departments, the prescription rates in psychiatry and dermatology departments were 8.1 times higher and 0.6 times lower than those in internal medicine departments, respectively. With regard to region, the prescription rates in Daegu and Jeju were 1.3 times higher and 0.79 times lower than those in Seoul, respectively. Conclusion: Drug-induced suicidal behavior is possible, and therefore efforts are needed to prevent it.

• 한국사회정책
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.233-263
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• 2018

This study sought to identify gender-specific mechanisms of increased suicide rates during economic crises in South Korea. In order to address research aims, we focused on two international economic crises: IMF financial crisis in 1997, and international recession in 2008. This study provides three main findings. First, different mechanisms increased suicide rates during the two economic crises. Particularly, the high level of unemployment raised suicide rates during the 1997 IMF while the high level of working poor in the 2008 recession. Second, suicidal risk patterns for men and women differed at each period. The 1997 crisis which mostly affected full-time permanent workers had had relatively greater impacts on men suicide, whereas the 2008 crisis which affected precarious workers had done on women suicide. Finally, our finding indicated that these gender-specific risk patterns had been derived from the gendered labour market and male-friendly social policy. Placing women at the periphery of the labor market and using them as a buffer in times of crisis, governments failed to protect them from their economic difficulties. Suicide is fundamental and important public health and social problems. These findings suggest that the national suicide prevention strategy should pay attention to the social determinants of suicide through gendered as well as population health perspectives.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.215-224
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• 2014

It is hardly surprising for the current elder generation to choose extreme measure, that is to commit suicide, because of various social or health problems caused by financial difficulties and diseases, for neither individuals nor the nation had not prepared for their later lives. Therefore, the number of elder suicide is rapidly increasing, so that it is becoming a big social issue. Research in various fields related to elderly suicide has been done due to recent huge interest, but most of them focused on microscopic factors and it is likely that most are in national level or individual level, so research about elderly suicide by regional areas is insufficient. Due to the nature of Korean administration system which is operated by each local government, study on elderly suicide by regional areas is acutely required. The purpose of this study is to draw policy suggestions of preventing suicide by analyzing current state of suicide rates in terms of sex(male elder vs female elder) and age(young old vs old old) in each 16 regions for 9years(from 2003 to 2011) and then analyzing interrelationships between the suicide rates and socio-economic factors.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2016

Previous research has identified the biological, psychological, and social factors that confer an elevated risk for suicide. Evidence suggests that sleep disturbances are one of the risk factors that predict an increased risk for suicidal behaviors. Both sleep disorders and general sleep complaints are linked to higher levels of suicidal ideation and depression, as well as increased rates of suicide and suicide attempts. The causal mechanism of this association is not clear. For example, it is not known if insomnia is an independent phenomenon that if interrupted could prevent the emergence of a mental disorder, or if insomnia is a symptom of another developing illness. Hypofrontality, HPA dysfunction, and an impaired serotonergic system are potential mechanisms underlying the association of sleep disturbances and suicidal behavior. Future research is necessary to examine the specific mechanism of this association between sleep and suicide, which may lead to an effective intervention and diminished suicide risk.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.74-85
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• 2017

Objective : A variety of approaches are needed to solve high suicide rates in Korean society. Although suicide prevention education has been provided for the public and suicide risk groups in Korea, a systematic discussion of simple, effective suicide prevention guidelines for the general public has yet to be made. Self-help guidelines for suicide prevention, which can help prevent suicide in at risk individuals, will be developed through expert questionnaires. Methods : In order to develop the draft guidelines, suicide prevention self-help phrases were gathered and compiled from homepages and publicity materials of domestic and international suicide prevention and related organizations. A panel of 16 suicide prevention experts conducted primary and secondary surveys using the Delphi method, which derives results from consensus among expert groups. The validity and appropriateness of the guidelines was analyzed using content validity ratios (CVR). Results : Of 33 candidate phrases selected for the suicide prevention guidelines, 9 showed high CVR after the secondary Delphi round. The highest level of support with total agreement was given to 'Do not be alone, stay with someone'. However, more than half of the panelists evaluated 14/27 of the primary Delphi round and 12/26 of the secondary Delphi round phrases as invalid. The researchers completed 10 self-help guidelines for suicide prevention, after eliminating 1 redundant phrase and including 2 additional phrases that showed relatively high CVR. Conclusion : We have developed 10 self-help guidelines for suicide prevention through the consensus of experts. Further studies on the effects of the guidleines relative to suicide rates are needed after widespread dissemination.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2013

One of hypothesis is that sleep loss related to a decrease in serotonergic activity plays a significant role in attempted suicide. A growing evidence suggests that central serotonergic activity plays a key role in the etiology of suicide. It has been reported that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the main metabolite of serotonin, were reduced in suicide attempters. In addition, there is evidence that tryptophan hydroxylase is associated with suicide. The association between sleep and suicide was also suggested by some researchers. Several recent studies have showed the association between sleep disturbance and suicide rates in patients with mental disorders and in a general population. In addition, it has been suggested that serotonin plays a role in maintaining arousal and regulating muscle tone and in regulating some of the phasic events of REM sleep. Especially, it is well-known that 5-HT2 receptors are related to slow wave sleep. In conclusion, it is clear that sleep, serotonin activity, and suicide are linked, although the direction of causation needs clarification. In future, large population-based cohort studies are needed to demonstrate the direction of causation in the relationships between sleep, serotonin activity, and suicide.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2016

Background: Several studies have investigated the relationship between specific occupations and suicide mortality, as suicide rates differ by profession. The aim of this study was to investigate suicide mortality ratios across broad occupational groups in Greece for both sexes in the period 2000-2009. Methods: Data of suicide deaths were retrieved from the Hellenic Statistical Authority and comparative mortality ratios were calculated. Occupational classification was based on the International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88) and the coding for Intentional self-harm (X60-X84) was based on the international classification of diseases (ICD-10). Results: Male dominant occupations, mainly armed forces, skilled farmers and elementary workers, and female high-skilled occupations were seen as high risk groups for suicide in a period of 10 years. The age-productive group of 30-39 years in Greek male elementary workers and the 50-59 age-productive group of Greek professional women proved to have the most elevated number of suicide deaths. Conclusion: Further research is needed into the work-related stressors of occupations with high suicide mortality risk and focused suicide prevention strategies should be applied within vulnerable working age populations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.264-271
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• 2023

Objectives: Hanging is a common method of attempted suicide. This study investigated the epidemiological profile of attempted and completed suicides by hanging in southern Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1167 suicide attempts by hanging between 2011 and 2019. All data related to suicide attempts by hanging were collected from the Fars Suicide Surveillance System. The trends in suicide cases and the mean age of attempted and completed suicides were plotted. The chi-square test was used to identify suicide-related factors. Crude rates of incidence, mortality, and standardized fatality during the study period were calculated. Finally, logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of death in individuals who attempted suicide. Results: The mean age of those who attempted suicide was 33.21±16.82 years; the majority were male (80.5%). The rate of attempted and completed suicide by hanging were 3.50 and 2.79 per 100 000 people, respectively. The case-fatality rate was calculated as 79.34%. The results of our study indicated an increasing trend in suicide attempts by hanging. The likelihood of death was 2.28 times higher in individuals with a previous history of suicide attempts and 1.85 times higher in those with a psychological disorder. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest an increasing trend in attempted and completed suicide by hanging, especially among individuals with a history of suicide attempts and psychological disorders. It is necessary to take action to reduce the rate of suicide attempts and identify the underlying causes of suicide attempts by hanging.

• 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.