Reasons for deliberate self-harm: comparison of self-poisoners and self-cutters in a community sample of adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To compare motives and premeditation between adolescent deliberate self-poisoners and self-cutters.


METHODS
In a sample of 6,020 pupils aged 15 and 16 years who completed a self-report questionnaire, those who had deliberately cut themselves in the previous year (n = 220) were compared with those who had taken overdoses (n = 86).


RESULTS
More adolescents who took overdoses than those who cut themselves said that they had wanted to die (66.7% versus 40.2%, chi2 = 14.94, p <.0001) and had wanted to find out if someone loved them (41.2% versus 27.8%, chi2 = 4.14, p =.042). Female self-cutters were more likely than male self-cutters to say that they had wanted to punish themselves (51.0% versus 25.0%, chi2 = 9.25, p =.002) and had tried to get relief from a terrible state of mind (77.2% versus 60.9%, chi2 = 4.78, p =.029). More self-cutters than self-poisoners had thought about the act of self-harm for less than an hour beforehand (50.9% versus 36.1%, chi2 = 5.25, p =.021).


CONCLUSIONS
There are differences between adolescents' motives for overdoses and for self-cutting, and also gender differences in the reasons for self-cutting. The often impulsive nature of these acts (especially self-cutting) means that prevention should focus on encouraging alternative methods of managing distress, problem-solving, and help-seeking before thoughts of self-harm develop.
Rodham
Karen
K
University of Bath, England.
Hawton
Keith
K
Evans
Emma
E
D000293:Adolescent; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000517:prevention & control; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*