Stressors in attempted suicide by poisoning: a sex comparison

objective: to identify stressors in attempted suicide by poisoning and to analyze differences between men and women. method: this quantitative, comparative, cross-sectional study evaluated 110 patients aged between 14 and 78 years. the following instruments used were: standardized mini international neuropsychiatric interview (mini) version 5.0.0 and an interview form specifically designed for the study. results: 70% of the suicide attempters were female; mean age was 28.1 years; 98.2% presented at least one psychiatric disorder. among the stressors assessed, significant differences were observed between men and women for: not having a spouse, 72.7% among men and 54.5% among women; attempted suicide planning, 66.7% among men and 46.8% among women; being under the influence of alcohol during the attempted suicide, 51.5% among men and 26.0% among women; harmful use of alcohol, 42.4% in men and 22.1% in women; sexual abuse, 22.1% in women and 6.1% in men. conclusions: women presented a three times higher number of attempted suicides by poisoning. the identification of stressors with significant differences between sexes in the high-risk population here described can help define and organize strategies aimed at suicide prevention. similar studies should be conducted in the general population.