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Hospital care and repetition following self-harm: multicentre comparison of self-poisoning and self-injury.
- Source :
-
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science [Br J Psychiatry] 2008 Jun; Vol. 192 (6), pp. 440-5. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Background: Quantitative research about self-harm largely deals with self-poisoning, despite the high incidence of self-injury.<br />Aims: We compared patterns of hospital care and repetition associated with self-poisoning and self-injury.<br />Method: Demographic and clinical data were collected in a multicentre, prospective cohort study, involving 10,498 consecutive episodes of self-harm at six English teaching hospitals.<br />Results: Compared with those who self-poisoned, people who cut themselves were more likely to have self-harmed previously and to have received support from mental health services, but they were far less likely to be admitted to the general hospital or receive a psychosocial assessment. Although only 17% of people repeated self-harm during the 18 months of study, survival analysis that takes account of all episodes revealed a repetition rate of 33% in the year following an episode: 47% after episodes of self-cutting and 31% after self-poisoning (P<0.001). Of those who repeated, a third switched method of self-harm.<br />Conclusions: Hospital services offer less to people who have cut themselves, although they are far more likely to repeat, than to those who have self-poisoned. Attendance at hospital should result in psychosocial assessment of needs regardless of method of self-harm.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Aftercare methods
Drug Overdose
Emergency Service, Hospital statistics & numerical data
England epidemiology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Needs Assessment standards
Poisoning psychology
Poisoning therapy
Recurrence
Self-Injurious Behavior psychology
Self-Injurious Behavior therapy
Time Factors
Aftercare statistics & numerical data
Hospitalization statistics & numerical data
Poisoning epidemiology
Self-Injurious Behavior epidemiology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0007-1250
- Volume :
- 192
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 18515895
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.107.043380