O-16 Completed and attempted suicides, and methods used among adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago from 2013- 2022.
Author(s):
K Khan, J Francis, W Furlonge, R Gangoo, E Ganpat, J George, S George, T George, I Gonzalez Ibrahim
Year of Presentation:
2023
Objective: To identify rates of and methods used in completed and attempted suicides among adolescents in cases recorded by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Crime and Problem Analysis (CAPA) Unit from January 2013 to April 2022.
Methods: Secondary data on completed and attempted was obtained from the CAPA unit. Methods used in suicide were categorised using the ICD 11 "external causes of morbidity or mortality- self-harm category.
Results: Records yielded 178 cases (age 10 to 19 years, 51.4% male), comprising 37% (N=65) completed and 63% (N=113) attempted suicides. An 85% increase in cases of attempted suicides was observed during the pandemic (2020–2022 vs 2013–2019). Males were significantly more likely to complete suicide (OR=2.126, 95% CI [1.374, 3.290]), and less likely to attempt suicide (OR=0.659, 95% CI [0.521,0.832]) than females. Among completed suicides, methods used were “threat to breathing” (80%) (e.g., hanging), and “exposure to non- medicinal substances”, (20%) (e.g., weedicides, pesticides, solvents). Among attempted suicides, the most common methods were “exposure to non-medicinal substances” (59%), “threat to breathing” (15%), and “exposure to drugs/medicaments” (14%). “Threat to breathing” was 15 times more likely to be reported in completed than attempted suicides when compared to “exposure to non-medicinal substances” (OR=15, 95% CI[6.67, 33.71].
Conclusion: Similar to adults, completed suicides in adolescents were associated with male sex and more lethal methods. Suicide prevention interventions should target sex, include public education campaigns to raise awareness, limit access to substances more commonly used, and mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic.