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- Title
Patterns of Treatment Utilization Before Suicide Among Male Veterans With Substance Use Disorders.
- Authors
Ilgen, Mark A.; Conner, Kenneth R.; Roeder, Kathryn M.; Blow, Frederic C.; Austin, Karen; Valenstein, Marcia
- Abstract
Objectives. We sought to describe the extent and nature of contact with the health care system before suicide among veterans with substance use disorders (SUDs). Methods. We examined all male Veterans Health Administration patients who died by suicide between October 1, 1999, and September 30, 2007, and who had a documented SUD diagnosis during the 2 years before death (n=3132). Results. Over half (55.5%; n=1740) of the male patients were seen during the month before suicide, and 25.4% (n=796) were seen during the week before suicide. In examining those with a medical visit in the year before suicide (n= 2964), most of the last visits before suicide (56.6%; n=1679) were in a general medical setting, 32.8% (n=973) were in a specialty mental health setting, and 10.5% (n=312) were in SUD treatment. Conclusions. Men with SUDs who died from suicide were frequently seen in the month before their death. Most were last seen in general medical settings, although a substantial minority of those with SUDs was seen in specialty mental health settings.
- Subjects
UNITED States; CONFIDENCE intervals; DATABASES; CAUSES of death; EPIDEMIOLOGY; MEDICAL information storage &; retrieval systems; VETERANS; MEDICAL appointments; MEDICAL care use; MEN; MENTAL health services; RESEARCH funding; SUICIDE; TIME; UNITED States. Dept. of Veterans Affairs; VITAL statistics; DATA analysis; DRUG abusers; PREDICTIVE validity; RETROSPECTIVE studies; DESCRIPTIVE statistics
- Publication
American Journal of Public Health, 2012, Vol 102, Issue S1, pS88
- ISSN
0090-0036
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2105/AJPH.2011.300392