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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Suicide is a paramount public health concern. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of suicidality and its associations with psychopathology among community residents in Taiwan.
METHODS: A computer-assisted telephone interview system was applied to collect data from ten consecutive annual surveys on mental health using a sample representative of the general population aged 15 and above from 2012 to 2021. Suicidality ascertained in this study included suicidal ideation in the lifetime, past year, and recent week, as well as lifetime and past-year suicide attempts. The five-item Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5) gauged psychopathology domains, including insomnia, anxiety, hostility, depression, and inferiority. A total BSRS-5 score of 6 and more defined psychiatric morbidity.
RESULTS: In total, 21,233 participants were recruited for analysis. The prevalence estimates for suicidality were (1) suicidal ideation: lifetime 13.5%, past year 2.3%, recent week 1.7%, and (2) suicide attempts: lifetime 2.2%, past year 0.2%. About 16.3% of those with lifetime suicidal ideation had lifetime suicidal attempts. The estimated prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 6.6%. Suicidality across different timespans was significantly more common in people with psychiatric morbidity. All BSRS-5 psychopathology domains were associated with an increased risk for suicidality across different timespans.
CONCLUSION: Promoting mental health literacy and increasing self-awareness about psychopathology, such as depression and anxiety remain vital in suicide prevention strategies.
Language: zh |