Self-inflicted harm (SIH) has a substantial lifetime prevalence, it is associated with tremendous costs, and its rate is increasing on a national scale. To examine the characteristics of those admitted for SIH in the US and to investigate the factors that potentially modify the methods used for SIH. This was a retrospective analysis of admitted cases of SIH including suicide attempts between 2007 and 2012 using the National Trauma Data Bank. We included a total of 204,633 cases admitted for SIH. Our participants were 75.1% males. Those aged 15-24 (21%), 25-34 (22%), 35-44 (19%), 45-54 (19%), and 55-64 (10%) years comprised the largest age groups among our cases-70.8%, 11.5%, 11.1%, and 6.6% were, respectively, Caucasians, Hispanics, Blacks, and Asian/Others. Analyses of the SIH methods revealed that Blacks were less likely to self-poison [Odds Ratio (OR): 0.78] compared to Whites, whereas individuals with psychiatric disorders or substance abuse carried 2.5 and 2.0-fold higher risk, respectively. Blacks were also less likely to use anoxic methods (OR: 0.69), whereas patients with psychiatric disorders or substance abuse carried 1.5-fold higher risk. Being Black, Hispanic, and Asian (OR: 0.58, 0.55, and 0.55, respectively) as well as having psychiatric disorders (OR: 0.80) were associated with lower risks of using firearms, whereas its risk was increased with increasing age. Blacks (OR: 0.77) were less likely to cut or pierce in contrast to Hispanics (OR: 1.4), Asians/Others (OR: 1.29), and those with psychiatric disorders (2.5-fold higher risk) or drug abuse (2-fold higher risk). Blacks (OR: 1.11), Hispanics (OR: 1.13), and Asians/Others (OR: 1.57) were more likely to jump from high places, whereas those with substance abuse were less likely (OR: 0.77). Among patients admitted for SIH, males, those aged 15-64 years, and Whites comprised the largest sex, age, and racial/ethnic groups, respectively. We also found that several factors including race/ethnicity, gender, age, and having concurrent psychiatric or drug abuse disorders can potentially influence the methods used for SIH.
Keywords: mental health; national trauma data bank; psychiatric disorder; race; self-inflicted harm; substance abuse.