Deliberate self-poisoning in childhood and early adolescence.
One hundred children under 16 yrs of age, who were admitted to hospital following an episode of deliberate self-poisoning, were compared with 50 psychiatric, non-suicidal controls, proportionally matched for age and sex. The self-poisoners showed more delinquency, school problems, previous self-poisoning, running away, and previous experience of "Care" than did the psychiatric controls. Their families showed more evidence of marital failure, previous psychiatric disorder, self-poisoning, and delinquency, than was present in control families. Their presentation was often acute, though usually within the setting of long-term, chronic difficulties, and emphasises the need for skilled and careful assessment.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Manchester, U.K.
M
M
Kerfoot
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011041:Poisoning / Q000523:psychology*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*