The World Health Organization (WHO)’s global report on
violence and health indicates that one person commits suicide
every 40 s, and that approximately one million people of
all ages die from suicide every year (WHO, 2012). The WHO
further estimates that by 2020, these figures may have
increased to 1 death every 20 s. A study on the profile of suicide
in South Africa indicate that suicide accounted for 7.7% of
all non-natural deaths in South Africa (Alberdi-Sudupe et al.
2011). According to Burrows and Schlebusch (2008) 6500
suicides occur annually in South Africa. Gauteng province was
dubbed the second leading province in South Africa with regard
to high suicide statistics (Uys & Middleton, 2010). However,
there is limited literature on general hospital based
suicides in Gauteng province, except for incidents reported on
the media.
Suicide is described as the act of taking one's own life. It is
multi-factorial in nature, with associated risk factors such as
demographic factors, psychiatric disorders, terminal or
chronic medical conditions and recurrent unresolved psychological
stressors (Masango, Rataemane, & Motojesi, 2008).
Different methods of committing suicide include amongst