title: Deliberate self-harm: a follow-up study of 279 patients.
abstract: Two-hundred-and-seventy-nine patients (103 men, 176 women) were followed-up 1-2 years after an act of non-fatal deliberate self-harm. Of 155 patients offered a psychiatric out-patient appointment at the time, only 68 completed the treatment. A further act of deliberate self-harm was committed by 26 men and 41 women within twelve months. The factors most highly associated with repetition were previous psychiatric treatment, a previous act of deliberate self-harm, and a criminal record. These factors held good for a separate series of patients. Significantly more repeaters received prolonged psychiatric care after the initial episode of deliberate self-harm. The implications of these findings for the clinical management of such patients are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003417:Criminal Psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011336:Probability; D011613:Psychotherapy; D012008:Recurrence; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012737:Sex Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment