[Socio-demographic and psychopathological analysis of child and adolescent attempted suicides].
OBJECTIVE
to analyze socio-demographic and psychopathological factors affecting attempted suicides by youths admitted to the Hospital de Niños de Córdoba (Argentina).


METHODS
prospective study based on clinical interviews and tests conducted on 80% of the patients admitted to the hospital in 2006. The significance level established for statistical comparisons was 0.05.


RESULTS
70% of the patient were female and 30% were male, the latter having a lower mean age than the female group (p0.001). The most common type of autoagression was the ingestion of medicines (87%). The most significant precedents in the psychopatological histories were: previous attempted suicides and conduct disorders (p0.002); 79% of them were not under treatment. Diagnoses at the moment of admission were: Mood Disorder (74%) and Disocial Disorder (74%).


CONCLUSIONS
the main characteristics of this group are previous attempted suicides and psychopathological conditions which could have been diagnosed and treated previously.
Bella
Mónica Edith
ME
Servicio de Salud Mental del Hospital de Niños de Córdoba. Investigadora de la Escuela de Salud Pública de la FCM-UNC. bellamonica@hotmail.com
Fernández
Alicia Ruth
AR
Acevedo
Gabriel
G
Willington
José María
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*