Abstract. Background: Suicide is defined as an act of self-destruction committed by an individual who is well informed about the deadly outcome. Suicide has considerable cultural and socioeconomic effects. Personnel working in medical institutes should be more aware and contain more non stigmatizing attitude towards this phenomenon. Objective: To examine the relationship between suicidal literacy and the attitude of medical personnel towards suicidal attempts. Methods: The participants included Faculty members, officers, supporting staff, post graduate and undergraduate students at the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 150 participants. The questionnaire was divided into two parts including demographic, anxiety, depression, and stigma sections. To find out the association of independent variables with anxiety and depression, a chi-square test was used. Results: Out of 150 participants 72 (48%) were females and 78 (52%) were males. 72.7% of the sample had depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. Stress in males was statistically significantly higher (64.1%) than in females (27.8%). Conclusion: The study revealed various risk factors for suicidal thoughts in the targeted participants and can serve as basis for future analysis and interventions.

Key words: suicide, suicide attempts, attitudes, anxiety, depression, stigma

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