Intervention for suicide attempters: A randomized controlled study

AIM: To determine whether brief intervention and contact (BIC) is effective in reducing subsequent suicidal behavior among suicide attempters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Suicide attempters (n=680) admitted in a general hospital in Chennai were randomly allocated to treatment as usual and BIC whose components include brief intervention at the time of discharge and contact for 18 months. RESULTS: Completed suicide was significantly lower in the BIC group, OR 35.4 (CI 18.4 – 78.2) as also attempted suicide, OR 17.3 (CI 10.8 - 29.7). CONCLUSIONS: This low-cost intervention which can be readily implemented may be an important suicide prevention strategy in healthcare settings in India.