Temporal Relationship Between Psychiatric Consultations and Suicide: A Postmortem Study in Osaka

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the background information of suicide cases with a history of psychiatric consultations using postmortem data from the Osaka Prefectural Medical Examiners Office. The goal was to explore the relationship between psychiatric consultations and the timing of suicide. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 191 suicide cases recorded in 2017. Background data such as gender, age, occupation, method of suicide, and the time interval between the last psychiatric consultation and suicide were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were used to examine trends. Results: Females accounted for 55.0% of the cases, with most individuals being middle-aged (56.0%) and unemployed (70.7%). Hanging (44%) was the most common suicide method, while Mondays (24.1%) had the highest suicide frequency. The median time between the last psychiatric consultation and suicide was 9 days, and a strong negative correlation (r = -0.79) was observed between this interval and the number of suicides. Conclusion: The findings suggest that suicides often occur shortly after psychiatric consultations, emphasizing the need for timely intervention. Postmortem data can offer critical insights into suicide risks. However, further research is needed to better understand psychiatric consultation details and their link to suicide prevention.