The characteristics of suicide attempts assisted by first responders: a cross-sectional epidemiological study

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the profile of suicide attempts assisted by the Fire Department of a Brazilian semi-arid municipality. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, containing data of care provided to victims of suicide attempts, conducted by the military firefighters of the state of Alagoas, from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2017. The following variables were selected: sex, age, outcome, intoxication, alcohol use, mental disorder, season of the year, day of the week, schedule, nature of occurrence, response time, transportation time and total time. The chi-square, Fisher's exact test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Results: Between 2000 and 2017, 144 victims of suicide attempts were cared. The frequency of care between men (n = 73; 50,7%) and women (n = 71; 49,3%) was similar. The women showed younger age (p