THURSDAY, Jan. 30, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- From January 2017 to December 2018, there was an increase in the number of emergency department visits related to suicidal ideation, self-directed violence, or both in persons aged ≥10 years, according to research published in the Jan. 31 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Marissa L. Zwald, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues examined emergency department visits for suicidal ideation, self-directed violence, or both among persons aged ≥10 years during January 2017 to December 2018 by sex, age group, and U.S. region using data from the CDC National Syndromic Surveillance Program.
The researchers found that the rate of emergency department visits for suicidal ideation, self-directed violence, or both increased 25.5 percent overall during the 24-month period, with a 1.2 percent increase per month on average. Significant increases were experienced by both sexes, with rate increases of 22.7 and 27.6 percent for women and men, respectively. Emergency department visit rates involving suicidal ideation, self-directed violence, or both increased among girls and women aged 10 to 19 years, 40 to 59 years, and ≥60 years; no increase was seen among women aged 20 to 39 years. All male age groups experienced significant increases.
"These data identify important trends and variations across demographic and geographic groups and highlight the potential value of syndromic surveillance data to assist states and communities in detecting suicide-related events at more detailed geographic levels, thus facilitating more rapid and targeted public health prevention and response efforts," the authors write.
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