Clinical factors and characteristics of men who see their GP before death by suicide

In this episode, we talk to Dr Faraz Mughal, who is a practising NHS General Practitioner and NIHR Doctoral Fellow at the School of Medicine at Keele University. Title of paper: Recent GP consultation before death by suicide in middle-aged males: a national consecutive case series studyAvailable at: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2022.0589Preventing suicide in middle-aged males is a global priority. This national case series study found that 43% of middle-aged males who died by suicide had a final GP consultation in the preceding 3 months, and of these males, over half presented with a mental health problem. Males who had recent GP contact before suicide were more likely to have self-harmed in the 3 months before compared with males who had no recent GP contact. Males who had a current physical illness, recent history of self-harm, attended for a mental health problem, and experienced recent work-related problems were more likely to consult with their GP shortly before dying by suicide. GPs and primary care clinicians should be alert to these clinical factors that may be proximal to suicide, and in turn, offer personalised holistic care.