The MCOSUL cohort: Lethality, recurrence, and mortality in suicide attempts in the Lérida Region, Spain—Rationale, objectives, and preliminary findings

Background and objectives

Suicide is a major global health issue with profound impacts on individuals, families, and societies. Understanding the factors that influence the lethality of suicide attempts, the frequency of reattempts, ultimate causes of death, and associated immune biomarkers is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies. This article outlines the rationale, objectives, and protocol of a new cohort study, presenting preliminary descriptive results.

Methods

We designed a prospective, naturalistic cohort study involving patients from the Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria University Hospitals in Lleida, Spain. Participants are recruited following a suicide attempt and are monitored over time. Data on clinical assessments, suicidal methods, somatic lethality, immune biomarkers, reattempts, and causes of death are collected and analyzed. The cohort continues to recruit patients and update follow-up data.

Results

Currently, the cohort includes 1918 patients. The majority of participants are females (62.8%) with an average age of 41.2 years. The average follow-up period is 77.6 months. Sedative poisoning is the most common method of suicide attempt (57.3%). High lethality attempts predominate (76.7%), and 43.4% of patients have reattempted suicide. During follow-up, 5.5% of patients died, with 2.1% of deaths attributed to suicide.

Conclusion

The findings from this study are expected to enhance our understanding of the relationships between suicide lethality, reattempts, mortality, and immune biomarkers. This knowledge may help to personalize interventions aimed at reducing suicide rates and improving outcomes for individuals at high risk.