Firearm suicide mortality among emergency department patients with physical health problems

Goldman-Mellor SJ, Hall C, Cerda M, Bhat H. Firearm suicide mortality among emergency department patients with physical health problems. Annals of Epidemiology. 2021;54:38–44.

Abstract

Purpose: Individuals with poor physical and mental health may face elevated risk for suicide, particularly suicide by firearm. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used statewide, longitudinally linked emergency department (ED) patient record and mortality data to examine 12-month incidence of firearm suicide among ED patients presenting with a range of physical health problems. Participants included all residents pre- senting to a California ED in 2009e2013 with nonfatal visits for somatic diagnoses hypothesized to in- crease suicide risk, including myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, cancer, back pain, headache, joint disorder, and injuries. For each patient diagnostic group, we calculated rates of firearm suicide per 100,000 person-years and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) relative to the demographically matched California population. Results: Firearm suicide rates per 100,000 person-years ranged from 9.6 (among patients presenting with unintentional injury) to 55.1 (patients with cancer diagnoses), with SMRs from 1.48 to 7.45 (all p
Last updated on 08/30/2022