Predictors of Psychiatric Outpatient Adherence after an Emergency Room Visit for a Suicide Attempt

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the potential correlation between baseline characteristics of individuals visiting an emergency room for a suicide attempt and subsequent psychiatric outpatient treatment adherence. METHODS: Medical records of 525 subjects, who visited an emergency room at a university-affiliated hospital for a suicide attempt between January 2017 and December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Potential associations between baseline characteristics and psychiatric outpatient visitation were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: 107 out of 525 individuals (20.4%) who attempted suicide visited an outpatient clinic after the initial emergency room visit. Several factors (e.g., sober during suicide attempt, college degree, practicing religion, psychiatric treatment history) were significantly related to better psychiatric outpatient follow-up. CONCLUSION: Several demographic and clinical factors predicted outpatient adherence following a suicide attempt. Therefore, additional attention should be given to suicide attempters who are at the risk of non-adherence by practitioners in the emergency room.