Factors associated with psychiatric consultation history and methods of suicide in individuals who died by suicide in Osaka City: A retrospective study

Aim: This retrospective study investigated the relationship among psychiatric consultation history, method of suicide, and the background information of individuals who died by suicide, based on postmortem information obtained from the Osaka Prefectural Medical Examiner's Office. Methods: We analyzed the data of 343 cases of suicide that occurred in Osaka City in 2017, focusing on factors associated with a history of psychiatric consultations. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to evaluate whether there was a significant linear trend in the distribution of case counts across 10-year age groups. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors associated with a history of psychiatric consultations prior to death. Results: The results revealed that female sex, history of suicide attempts, and choosing jumping as the suicide method compared to choosing hanging were the significant factors associated with a history of psychiatric consultations prior to death. Factors associated with not having a history of psychiatric consultations prior to death were being employed (compared to being unemployed), being a student (compared to being unemployed), and being older (compared to being younger). The Cochran-Armitage trend test revealed no significant linear trend in the distribution of case counts. Conclusion: The study highlights the need for targeted mental health interventions for specific demographic groups, as well as further research on the impact of mental health conditions and age-related factors on suicide methods. These results may contribute to a deeper understanding of the risk factors for suicide and help in improving suicide prevention strategies.