Suicide AttemptSA_ICUNCT06966505
Patients Admitted to ICU After a Suicide Attempt
An observational study of Suicide Attempt, run by Oslo University Hospital at 1 site in Norway.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to increase the knowledge on the experience and symptom profile to suicide attempters admitted to an ICU. Suicide is one of the most frequent causes of death in young age groups in Norway, and the rates has not decreased in Norway in 20 years despite governmental and health care actions when… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Suicide Attempt
- How many people
- 86 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNorway
- Study dates
- 15 Aug 2021to 15 Dec 2023
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Patients admitted to an ICU after a suicide attempt.
Who may be able to join
- Patients that have attempted suicide, and
- patients ≥18 years, and
- have been ≥12hours in the ICU
- suicide attempt have been defined as "a potentially self-injurious behaviour with a non-fatal outcome, for which there is evidence (either explicit or implicit) that the person intended at some (non-zero) level to end their lives. A suicide attempt may or may not result in injuries". All suicide methods leading to hospitalization are included (hanging, drowning, jump/ fall from heights, shooting, self-poisoning, cutting and other methods), as defined in International classification of diseases version 10 (ICD-10, chapter X)
- trained research personnel from the research group will conduct the evaluation with the medical team treating the patient to identify the suicide attempt patient
Who cannot join
- Not able to read or understand Norwegian
- Patients with no permanent address in Norway
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Patients Admitted to ICU After a Suicide Attempt: Physical and Mental Symptoms and the Patients' Experiences With Treatment
The goal of this study is to increase the knowledge on the experience and symptom profile to suicide attempters admitted to an ICU.
Suicide is one of the most frequent causes of death in young age groups in Norway, and the rates has not decreased in Norway in 20 years despite governmental and health care actions when it comes to prevention, knowledge and treatment. The medically most serious suicide attempts need treatment in intensive care units (ICU). In addition, being an ICU patient is associated with the experience of several traumatic events and symptoms related to treatment. These experiences often have a negative impact on their quality-of-life post discharge. In addition, patients who have tried to end their life often have experienced negative life events prior to the suicide attempt.
Read more
A systematic review conducted on attitudes towards people who self-harm, pointed out inappropriate staff behaviour, lack of patient-involvement, poor knowledge among the health care professionals and issues with aftercare to this particular patient group. Healthcare personnel are important stakeholders in suicide prevention, but they can experience lack of confidence when caring for suicidal patients and negative attitudes have an impact on access to treatment. Building knowledge addressing mental health stigma and negative attitudes is possible with training and education.
As there are little evidence regarding the experience, symptom profile and the follow up for this specific sub-group of the ICU population, this project aims to investigate three aspects affecting the suicide attempt patient in the ICU; First, the symptom burden of suicide attempt patients experienced both in the ICU and post-discharge during 6 months will be examined. Second, the ICU nurses' attitudes towards the suicide attempt patient will be explored. Finally, after ICU discharge the patients feeling of hopelessness and other symptoms will be investigated, and the general experience as an ICU patient. This project is highly innovative and will fill a significant gap in knowledge.
Read the detailed description
In this project patients will be included as soon as possible after the ICU admission. A research nurse trained for t inclusion of this specific patient population will ask the patient for inclusion, after a physician or psychiatrist have defined the cause of admission as a suicide attempt. Patients will be asked to fill out questionnaires in the ICU, facilitated by the study nurse if they consent to study participation, and then again after 3 and 6 months.
Patients with medically serious suicide attempts have a higher risk of suicide than others. We know that half of the population of patients dying of suicide have previously self-harmed, and that the rate of suicide in the self-harm population is approximately 100 times higher than the general population.
It is often unclear whether the reason behind the suicide attempt was an explicit wish to die or an act of deliberate self-harm (DSH) where the patient was coping with psychological pain but had no wish to die. The vast majority of previous research on suicidal patients has used the definition of deliberate self-harm when including patients. These two groups of patients are described as overlapping, where risk factors for later suicide are common, and self-destructive behavior is important. In an acute setting, when medical treatment is in focus, the intention is rarely evaluated, mainly because the poisoning or treatment of hanging and shooting reduces consciousness. All patients treated for suicide attempt in the ICU will therefore be included, and their suicidal intent will be evaluated after inclusion.
Previous research has described 5 key symptoms that should be evaluated every day in ICU patients, and includes pain, thirst, anxiety, dyspnea and tiredness. Only one older study has been identified to address symptoms and experiences by suicide attempt patients in the ICU, and patients from this study described experiences of pain, despair, shame and guilt.
The attitudes towards suicide of the ICU personnel may affect the care provided, and also the life after discharge for the patient. Hopelessness is one of the strongest predictors for suicide and repeated self-harm. Hopelessness is recommended and commonly used as assessment in the context of suicidal behaviour. Besides its crucial role in suicidality, hopelessness is an important construct in the context of life satisfaction, compliance and recovery in medical care.
The general suicide attempt patient-group have increased short -and long-term mortality of both suicide and natural deaths compared to the general population and thus underlines the importance of structured follow-up. The negative consequences of surviving an ICU stay have received increased attention in recent years, as decreased mortality rates have contributed to a high number of ICU Survivors. The identification of post-intensive care Syndrome (PICS) has been of great importance for increasing awareness about health issues in ICU survivors. PICS conceptualizes health challenges within physical, psychological and cognitive domains of health. However, PICS needs to be addressed and investigated in the suicide attempt population admitted to ICU as well, as descriptions of this specific population does not seem to exist.
- Conditions
- Suicide Attempt
- Keywords
- Suicide attempters in ICU, ICU
- Medical subject headings
- Suicide, Attempted
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Patients that has been admitted to the ICU after a suicide attempt | We have only included suicide attempters that have been admitted to an ICU |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Symptoms
Symptoms will be measured using Patients Symptom Survey (10 symptoms), and is a multi-dimensional symptom Assessment Scale developed for the ICU population.
Measured: Day 1 in the ICU (or first possible day to self-report), and at 3 and 6 months after ICU admission.
Secondary outcomes (1)
Hopelessness
Will be measuerd using Bechs hopelessness scale. It has a range from 0 (no hopelessness) to 20 (maximum hopelessness).
Measured: Day 1 in the ICU (or first possible day to self-report) and at 3 and 6 months after ICU admission
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 May 2025
- Study start15 Aug 2021
- Primary completion15 Dec 2023
- Study completion15 Dec 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Suicide AttemptStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Oslo University HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 86 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Oslo University Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Diakonhjemmet Hospital
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Kristin Hofsø, Oslo University Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06966505
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 202196
- Other IDs
- REK
- Acronym
- SA_ICU
- Status last verified
- May 2025
- First submitted
- 11 Apr 2025
- Last updated
- 12 May 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 May 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Patients Admitted to ICU After a Suicide Attempt: Physical and Mental Symptoms and the Patients' Experiences With Treatment
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06966505
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SA_ICU / 202196
- Conditions
- Suicide Attempt
- Keywords
- Suicide attempters in ICU, ICU
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 86 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Oslo University HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Diakonhjemmet Hospital
- Study start
- 15 Aug 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 15 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 15 Dec 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 12 May 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study is to increase the knowledge on the experience and symptom profile to suicide attempters admitted to an ICU.
Suicide is one of the most frequent causes of death in young age groups in Norway, and the rates has not decreased in Norway in 20 years despite governmental and health care actions when it comes to prevention, knowledge and treatment. The medically most serious suicide attempts need treatment in intensive care units (ICU). In addition, being an ICU patient is associated with the experience of several traumatic events and symptoms related to treatment. These experiences often have a negative impact on their quality-of-life post discharge. In addition, patients who have tried to end their life often have experienced negative life events prior to the suicide attempt.
A systematic review conducted on attitudes towards people who self-harm, pointed out inappropriate staff behaviour, lack of patient-involvement, poor knowledge among the health care professionals and issues with aftercare to this particular patient group. Healthcare personnel are important stakeholders in suicide prevention, but they can experience lack of confidence when caring for suicidal patients and negative attitudes have an impact on access to treatment. Building knowledge addressing mental health stigma and negative attitudes is possible with training and education.
As there are little evidence regarding the experience, symptom profile and the follow up for this specific sub-group of the ICU population, this project aims to investigate three aspects affecting the suicide attempt patient in the ICU; First, the symptom burden of suicide attempt patients experienced both in the ICU and post-discharge during 6 months will be examined. Second, the ICU nurses' attitudes towards the suicide attempt patient will be explored. Finally, after ICU discharge the patients feeling of hopelessness and other symptoms will be investigated, and the general experience as an ICU patient. This project is highly innovative and will fill a significant gap in knowledge.
Detailed description
In this project patients will be included as soon as possible after the ICU admission. A research nurse trained for t inclusion of this specific patient population will ask the patient for inclusion, after a physician or psychiatrist have defined the cause of admission as a suicide attempt. Patients will be asked to fill out questionnaires in the ICU, facilitated by the study nurse if they consent to study participation, and then again after 3 and 6 months.
Patients with medically serious suicide attempts have a higher risk of suicide than others. We know that half of the population of patients dying of suicide have previously self-harmed, and that the rate of suicide in the self-harm population is approximately 100 times higher than the general population.
It is often unclear whether the reason behind the suicide attempt was an explicit wish to die or an act of deliberate self-harm (DSH) where the patient was coping with psychological pain but had no wish to die. The vast majority of previous research on suicidal patients has used the definition of deliberate self-harm when including patients. These two groups of patients are described as overlapping, where risk factors for later suicide are common, and self-destructive behavior is important. In an acute setting, when medical treatment is in focus, the intention is rarely evaluated, mainly because the poisoning or treatment of hanging and shooting reduces consciousness. All patients treated for suicide attempt in the ICU will therefore be included, and their suicidal intent will be evaluated after inclusion.
Previous research has described 5 key symptoms that should be evaluated every day in ICU patients, and includes pain, thirst, anxiety, dyspnea and tiredness. Only one older study has been identified to address symptoms and experiences by suicide attempt patients in the ICU, and patients from this study described experiences of pain, despair, shame and guilt.
The attitudes towards suicide of the ICU personnel may affect the care provided, and also the life after discharge for the patient. Hopelessness is one of the strongest predictors for suicide and repeated self-harm. Hopelessness is recommended and commonly used as assessment in the context of suicidal behaviour. Besides its crucial role in suicidality, hopelessness is an important construct in the context of life satisfaction, compliance and recovery in medical care.
The general suicide attempt patient-group have increased short -and long-term mortality of both suicide and natural deaths compared to the general population and thus underlines the importance of structured follow-up. The negative consequences of surviving an ICU stay have received increased attention in recent years, as decreased mortality rates have contributed to a high number of ICU Survivors. The identification of post-intensive care Syndrome (PICS) has been of great importance for increasing awareness about health issues in ICU survivors. PICS conceptualizes health challenges within physical, psychological and cognitive domains of health. However, PICS needs to be addressed and investigated in the suicide attempt population admitted to ICU as well, as descriptions of this specific population does not seem to exist.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Patients that has been admitted to the ICU after a suicide attempt | – | –We have only included suicide attempters that have been admitted to an ICU |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Patients admitted to an ICU after a suicide attempt.
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Patients that have attempted suicide, and
- patients ≥18 years, and
- have been ≥12hours in the ICU
- suicide attempt have been defined as "a potentially self-injurious behaviour with a non-fatal outcome, for which there is evidence (either explicit or implicit) that the person intended at some (non-zero) level to end their lives. A suicide attempt may or may not result in injuries". All suicide methods leading to hospitalization are included (hanging, drowning, jump/ fall from heights, shooting, self-poisoning, cutting and other methods), as defined in International classification of diseases version 10 (ICD-10, chapter X)
- trained research personnel from the research group will conduct the evaluation with the medical team treating the patient to identify the suicide attempt patient
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Not able to read or understand Norwegian
- Patients with no permanent address in Norway
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Symptoms
Time frame: Day 1 in the ICU (or first possible day to self-report), and at 3 and 6 months after ICU admission.
Symptoms will be measured using Patients Symptom Survey (10 symptoms), and is a multi-dimensional symptom Assessment Scale developed for the ICU population.
1 secondary outcome
Hopelessness
Time frame: Day 1 in the ICU (or first possible day to self-report) and at 3 and 6 months after ICU admission
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 May 2025.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Suicide Attempt, run by Oslo University Hospital at 1 site in Norway.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 May 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Norway. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Symptoms (time frame: Day 1 in the ICU (or first possible day to self-report), and at 3 and 6 months after ICU admission.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 May 2025.