"The WHO/EURO Multicenter Study of Suicidal Behavior": results of the Austrian research center (in Tyrol) compared with Europe

The article presents findings from the Austrian research center (Hall/the Tyrol) participating in the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study of Suicidal Behaviour compared to the other participating European countries. Between October 1997 and March 1999 a total number of 137 interviews were conducted (70 interviews from the defined catchment area, the city and county of Innsbruck, 67 interviews from other parts of the Tyrol) with psychiatric inpatients admitted due to a parasuicidal act (a non-habitual deliberate self-harm episode). Comparison with the total number of psychiatrically treated parasuicides in Tyrol during the same period of time showed the interviewed sample to be representative of the whole clinical population. It was found that the Austrian sample revealed significantly higher proportions of "hard methods" than the pooled sample from the other participating European centres. A relatively high proportion of deliberate self-harm episodes was found in males. The repetition rate of parasuicides within the first 6 months after the initial parasuicide was very high (14% of the interviewed persons) compared to similar studies. An analysis of psychiatric diagnoses according to ICD-10 showed that more than 50% concerned either affective disorders or psychiatric disorders associated with substance abuse and dependence. The results indicate that the sample constitutes a high risk group for completed suicide.