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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0BMC Primary Care

Primary care exploration of suicidal ideation by general practitioners before suicidal acts: a national observational study of the French Sentinelles Network

  • Irène Bertherat1
  • Laurie-Anne Claude1,2,3
  • Marie Pouquet4
  • Thierry Blanchon4
  • Philippe Pirard5
  • Nadia Younès1,2,3
5 affiliations
  1. 1Service de Psychiatrie Adulte Et Addictologie, Centre Hospitalier de Versailles, Versailles, France
  2. 2INSERM 1018, Team DevPsy, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Populations, Université Paris-Saclay, Villejuif, France
  3. 3Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, UFR Simone Veil - Santé, 177 Rue de Versailles, Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, 78150 France
  4. 4Sorbonne Université, Inserm, Institut Pierre-Louis d’épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Paris, France
  5. 5Direction des Maladies Non Transmissibles et des Traumatismes, Santé Publique France 14, Rue du Val d’Osnes, Saint-Maurice Cedex, 94415 France
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Abstract

Background: The exploration of suicidal ideation (SI) during primary care consultations with general practitioners (GPs) is crucial for suicide prevention. We performed a retrospective assessment of the prevalence of SI exploration by GPs during the six months preceding suicidal acts with the aim of identifying associated factors, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: We performed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses on data from weekly questionnaires completed by 459 GPs from the French Sentinelles Network (2013–2023) regarding 1,156 suicidal acts: 928 suicide attempts (SA) and 205 suicides (S).

Results: GPs had explored SI during the six months before a suicidal act for 54.9% (95%CI 52.0–57.8) of patients. The prevalence of SI exploration was higher after 2020 (post-COVID period) than before 2020 (61.8% [95%CI: 57.6; 65.8] versus 48.2% [95%CI: 44.0; 52.3], p < 0.001). Factors positively associated with SI exploration were: post-COVID period (OR = 2.25, 95%CI [1.5–3.4], p < 0.001), spontaneous expression of SI (OR = 20.52, 95%CI [9.1–55.7], p < 0.001), consultation for psychological reasons (OR = 3.37, 95%CI [1.9–6.0], p < 0.001), history of SA (OR = 2.10, 95%CI [1.4–3.2], p < 0.001), depression (OR = 1.92, 95%CI [1.3–2.9], p = 0.001), SD versus SA (OR = 1.86, 95%CI [1.1–3.3], p = 0.024), substance misuse (OR = 1.82, 95%CI [1.1–3.0], p = 0.020), consultation within the last month (OR = 1.63, 95%CI [1.1–2.4], p = 0.010).

Limitations: The findings may be subject to a social desirability bias.

Conclusion: The exploration of SI needs to be improved, particularly for patients consulting for somatic conditions. GPs may have become more aware of SI since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03465-5.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{bertherat2026primary,
  title = {{Primary care exploration of suicidal ideation by general practitioners before suicidal acts: a national observational study of the French Sentinelles Network}},
  author = {Irène Bertherat and Laurie-Anne Claude and Marie Pouquet and Thierry Blanchon and Philippe Pirard and Nadia Younès},
  journal = {BMC Primary Care},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.1186/s12875-026-03465-5},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03465-5},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Primary care exploration of suicidal ideation by general practitioners before suicidal acts: a national observational study of the French Sentinelles Network
AU  - Irène Bertherat
AU  - Laurie-Anne Claude
AU  - Marie Pouquet
AU  - Thierry Blanchon
AU  - Philippe Pirard
AU  - Nadia Younès
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/06
JO  - BMC Primary Care
DO  - 10.1186/s12875-026-03465-5
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03465-5
AB  - Background: The exploration of suicidal ideation (SI) during primary care consultations with general practitioners (GPs) is crucial for suicide prevention. We performed a retrospective assessment of the prevalence of SI exploration by GPs during the six months preceding suicidal acts with the aim of identifying associated factors, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Methods: We performed bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses on data from weekly questionnaires completed by 459 GPs from the French Sentinelles Network (2013–2023) regarding 1,156 suicidal acts: 928 suicide attempts (SA) and 205 suicides (S).  Results: GPs had explored SI during the six months before a suicidal act for 54.9% (95%CI 52.0–57.8) of patients. The prevalence of SI exploration was higher after 2020 (post-COVID period) than before 2020 (61.8% [95%CI: 57.6; 65.8] versus 48.2% [95%CI: 44.0; 52.3], p < 0.001). Factors positively associated with SI exploration were: post-COVID period (OR = 2.25, 95%CI [1.5–3.4], p < 0.001), spontaneous expression of SI (OR = 20.52, 95%CI [9.1–55.7], p < 0.001), consultation for psychological reasons (OR = 3.37, 95%CI [1.9–6.0], p < 0.001), history of SA (OR = 2.10, 95%CI [1.4–3.2], p < 0.001), depression (OR = 1.92, 95%CI [1.3–2.9], p = 0.001), SD versus SA (OR = 1.86, 95%CI [1.1–3.3], p = 0.024), substance misuse (OR = 1.82, 95%CI [1.1–3.0], p = 0.020), consultation within the last month (OR = 1.63, 95%CI [1.1–2.4], p = 0.010).  Limitations: The findings may be subject to a social desirability bias.  Conclusion: The exploration of SI needs to be improved, particularly for patients consulting for somatic conditions. GPs may have become more aware of SI since the COVID-19 pandemic.  Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-026-03465-5.
SN  - 2731-4553
ER  -