Characterization of suicide attempts and self-harm by adolescents and adults notified in Santa Catarina, Brazil, 2014-2018

Abstract

Objective: To characterize adolescent and adult suicide attempts and self-harm reported in Santa Catarina, Brazil, from 2014 to 2018. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study with data from the Notifiable Health Conditions Information System. The sociodemographic, clinical and type of self-inflicted violence characteristics among adolescents and adults were compared. Results: Among the 8,859 notifications analyzed, suicide attempts predominated in relation to self-mutilation; self-inflected violence was more frequent in females, those of white skin color and with mental disorders; it occurred more at home, in both age groups. Among adolescents, repeated self-mutilation (83.3%) stood out, while among adults, repeated suicide attempts (50.6%) and suspected alcohol use (18.3%) at the time of violence stood out. Conclusion: We identified high prevalence of attempted suicide among adolescents and adults; the characteristics of violence were similar between the age groups analyzed.