Frequent deliberate self-harm: repetition, suicide and cost after three or more years.
This is a follow-up study of 44 patients who were admitted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh after frequent deliberate self-harm (defined as three or more episodes of deliberate self-harm within one week) at least once between 1982 and 1987. Forty-two patients (95%) were traced after a minimum of three years (range 3yr 1 mo 8yr 9mo). Thirty eight patients were known to have repeated self-harm an average of 13 times during the follow-up. Only two patients had died, one of these by probable suicide. The average cost solely attributable to the in-patient accommodation and psychiatric assessment of this group during follow-up was 34,036.60 pounds (1986-87 prices).
Rodger
C R
CR
Department of Psychiatry, St James's University Hospital, Leeds.
Scott
A I
AI
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013405:Suicide / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*