Suicidal Behaviour and Associated Factors in Colombia. Results from the 2015 National Mental Health Survey

Introduction Suicidal behaviour leads to a significant cause of mortality in the world. It is important to know the factors associated with this behaviour in order to design public health policies that may decrease its incidence. Objective Describe the results of the Colombian National Survey of Mental Health related to suicidal behaviour in adults. Results It was observed that 5.5% (95% CI, 4.5-6.7) of men and 7.6% (95% CI, 6.6-8.7) of women had suicidal thoughts. A suicide plan was reported in 2.7% of women (95% CI, 2.1-3.0), and attempted suicide observed in 1.9% of men (95% CI, 1.4-2.5) and 3.3% of women (95% CI, 2.6-4.1). The region with the highest frequency of suicidal ideation was Bogotá, with 10.3% (95% CI, 7.6-13.8) and was the lowest in the Atlantic region with 3.8% (95% CI, 3.0-4.8). It was found that the presence of any mental illness, especially depressive, anxiety disorders and borderline personality traits, as well as people who have been displaced by violence at least once in life, are associated with serious suicidal ideation. No differences were found in suicidal ideation as regards poverty or problems arising from alcohol consumption. Conclusions Suicidal behaviour is common in the Colombian adult population, which warrants the design and implementation of interventions in the most vulnerable groups in order to reduce this risk.