Socio-Demographic and Clinical Profile of Para-Suicide Cases: One Year Prospective Study

Study of socio-demographic and clinical profile of Para-suicide cases was carried out for duration of one year between 15th June 2009 and 14th June 2010 at Sri B. M. Patil Medical College and Hospital, Bijapur, a tertiary referral centre in Karnataka state, South India. Knowledge of para-suicides in North Karnataka region of South India is still limited due to lack of published data; India being a large country with great diversity, factors responsible for para-suicide in one region cannot be generalized and may not be the same at other place. The aim of this study was to describe the socio-demographic and clinical variables of para-suicide cases admitted, risk factors associated with para-suicidal gestures, the presence of psychiatric disorders, etc. All the patients admitted with history of para-suicide were interviewed using a pretested proforma. Psychiatric morbidity was determined with help of consultant psychiatrists by DSM-IV criteria and detailed interview.