Patients with a plan, access to lethal means, recent social stressors and symptoms suggestive of a psychiatric disorder should be hospitalized immediately. Sometimes involuntary hospital admission is used to avoid a suicidal behavior, taking into account that after a suicide attempt 25% of people repeat attempt and 10% die by suicide.

To know hospital admission due to suicide attempts, and how many of them were involuntary.

A 2-year retrospective study (2014–2015) of all cases admitted after suicidal behavior in an acute psychiatric ward in a general hospital in Gijón (Spain). Reasons for hospital admission were registered, including suicide attempts. And also if admissions were involuntary.

The total number of admissions to the psychiatric unit in 2014–2015 was 2376. Admissions due to suicide attempts were 427; 300 of them were involuntary admissions. There were a total of 347 involuntary admissions these two years; among them, due to suicide attempt: 300.

Most of involuntary admissions in the psychiatric unit of the hospital studied followed a suicide attempt, as a prevention of repeated suicidal behavior. Obvious high risk of repeat suicide attempt generates an urgency to make an accurate assessment and create a safe treatment plan and determine to retain suicidal patients.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.