Shafeajafar Zoofaghari - Isfahan Clinical Toxicology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Background and Aim : An Investigation of Suicide Rate and Severity of Poisoning Using SADPERSONS Scale and Its Relationship with Month of BirthMethods : Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conductedon poisoned patients admitted to Khorshid hospital in Isfahan in 2018. At first, the patients’ age,sex and month of birth were recorded and then their suicide risk was assessed by SAD PERSONSscale (SPS).Results : Results: From 2,735 referred patients with poisoning, 1839(67.2%) were attemptedsuicide and 896 cases(32.8%) were poisoned. The mean SPS score in patients with suicidalattempts was 4.89±1.94 and in the poisoned patients was 2.74±1.46(P-value<0.001). There was nosignificant relationship between suicide and birth month but sex(male), aging, depression, previousattempts, ethanol abuse, rational thinking loss, social support lacking, and no spouse hadsignificantly increase the risk of suicide (P-value<0.01). In addition, the SPS score of greater thanor equal to 5 with a sensitivity of 43.77% and specificity of 98.44% had an acceptable diagnosticvalue in identifying the risk of suicide(P-value<0.0001).Conclusion : Conclusion: As SPS criteria have a good diagnostic value for suicide prediction, itis recommended that this criterion be assessed among individuals with susceptible suicidecharacteristics (such as males, elders, depression, lack of social support, etc.), to prevent futuresuicide attempts and appropriate medical-psychological measures.

Keywords: Poisoning, Suicide, Birth Month, SAD PERSONS