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SUICIDE ATTEMPTS IN A NIGERIAN MILITARY SETTING
Abstract
Objectives: To describe the characteristics of patients who attempted suicide in a military
setting and to examine the differences between the suicide attempters and a group of nonsuicide,
affective disorder patients.
Design: Fifty one consecutive cases of suicide attempts were studied using a questionnaire
which inquired about demographic characteristics and suicide related issues such as method
of attempt used and giving a notice. The suicide attempt group was then compared with a
control group who had no history of attempted suicide.
Setting: Department of Psychiatry, Military Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, which is a 500-
bed military general hospital.
Subjects: Fifty one attempted suicide patients. Intervention reports on intervention methods
applied were not within the scope of this report.
Main outcome measures: These were also not within the scope of the present study.
Results: Suicide attempt patients constituted 0.37% of all admissions during a five-year
period, and 60.8% of them were under the age of 30 years. The numbers of male and female
patients were approximately the same. Depression and acute stress reaction were the
commonest diagnoses. While military dependants most commonly ingested substances in
their suicide attempts, military personnel most often used more violent methods including
hanging and self-stabbing, but none used firearms. Compared with non suicide patients,
suicide attempt ones were more likely to be unmarried and to have a family history of mental
disorder but less likdy to have lost a parent through death before the age of 18 years.
Conclusions: The need for a more controlled access to substances capable of being used for
self- destruction was highlighted. The need for emergency room doctors to become more
skilful in the identification and assessment of suicide attempt patients was also emphasised.
setting and to examine the differences between the suicide attempters and a group of nonsuicide,
affective disorder patients.
Design: Fifty one consecutive cases of suicide attempts were studied using a questionnaire
which inquired about demographic characteristics and suicide related issues such as method
of attempt used and giving a notice. The suicide attempt group was then compared with a
control group who had no history of attempted suicide.
Setting: Department of Psychiatry, Military Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, which is a 500-
bed military general hospital.
Subjects: Fifty one attempted suicide patients. Intervention reports on intervention methods
applied were not within the scope of this report.
Main outcome measures: These were also not within the scope of the present study.
Results: Suicide attempt patients constituted 0.37% of all admissions during a five-year
period, and 60.8% of them were under the age of 30 years. The numbers of male and female
patients were approximately the same. Depression and acute stress reaction were the
commonest diagnoses. While military dependants most commonly ingested substances in
their suicide attempts, military personnel most often used more violent methods including
hanging and self-stabbing, but none used firearms. Compared with non suicide patients,
suicide attempt ones were more likely to be unmarried and to have a family history of mental
disorder but less likdy to have lost a parent through death before the age of 18 years.
Conclusions: The need for a more controlled access to substances capable of being used for
self- destruction was highlighted. The need for emergency room doctors to become more
skilful in the identification and assessment of suicide attempt patients was also emphasised.
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