Introduction

Emergency department patients presenting with non-fatal suicidal behaviour face elevated risk of suicide and all-cause mortality, but the extent to which this has changed over time is unknown. This study tracked trends in mortality risks faced by emergency department patients presenting with deliberate self-harm and suicidal ideation in California.

Methods

Using statewide linked emergency department and death data, we estimated 2010–2016 trends in suicide and all-cause mortality among emergency department patients with either deliberate self-harm (n=111 658) or suicidal ideation (n=162 959). We also calculated average annual percent changes in age-adjusted mortality rates and compared these to the general California population.

Results

Deliberate self-harm and suicidal ideation patients’ age-adjusted suicide rates decreased by approximately 5% per year during the study period; however, their all-cause mortality trends were flat. In the general California population, suicide rate trends were flat while all-cause mortality slightly declined.

Conclusions

Suicide mortality unexpectedly declined among self-harming and suicidal patients presenting to California emergency departments. Additional research is needed to understand the reasons behind this decline and inform quality improvement efforts for suicide prevention in hospital settings.

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