title: [Repeated unexplained cardiac glycoside poisoning].
abstract: One of the major tasks of psychiatry, suicide risk assessment, is supposed to reduce morbidity and mortality. However, assessing suicide risk can be quite challenging because it depends almost entirely upon subjective clinical judgment. The patient is often ambivalent towards committing suicide and may conceal his or her real intentions. Therefore, identification of suicidal intention may be daunting even after thorough, repeated psychiatric evaluations. Hence, clinicians must always maintain a high level of doubt, and act accordingly. In the following report we describe the case of a young man who acted out several concealed and very severe suicide attempts that put his Life at risk. Lacking any apparent risk factors, and due to prolonged efforts to cover up his actions, true evaluation and exposure of suicidal risk was extremely difficult. This case study is reported with the goal of emphasizing the complexity of suicide assessment and the need to frequently re-examine one's findings.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Hadassah Medical Center. yuvalr@hadassah.org.il
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Raveh
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Department, Hadassah Medical Center.
authors.forename: Omer Bonne
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Child
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002301:Cardiac Glycosides / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D013406:Suicide, Attempted
chemical_list: D002301:Cardiac Glycosides