Urgencias subjetivas que ingresan como intentos de suicidio al Sistema de Emergencias 911 de Salta, República Argentina

Abstract

The aim of this research is to describe the characteristics of the people who try to commit suicide and are aided by the 911 Emergency System in Salta (SE 911) as well as to explore possible interventions from a psychoanalytic frame in a pre-hospital setting. The research population included all the people who attempted suicide that were assisted by SE 911 between December 2012 and November 2013. The technique used was the individual interview and the investigated descriptors were: sociological, subjective, context transfer and emergency han- dling. The investigation allows us to conclude, among other things, that self-harm does not always seek out death; thus, it is wrong to treat these patients on the premise that they do not want to live. In all the cases, anxiety is present as something that cannot be put into words and finds its way out or relief through action. The trigger for anguish in almost all the cases is the breaking of the bonds of love, which leaves patients without a place in the Other and out of speech. Moreover, the largest caseload is constituted by teenagers and assistance is not asked  for by themselves but by a third party.