Citation

Lifshitz M, Gavrilov V. Isr. Med. Assoc. J. 2002; 4(4): 252-254.

Affiliation

Toxicology Unit, Division of Pediatrics, Soroka University Medical Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel. matyl@bgumail.bgu.ac.il

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Israel Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12001704

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adolescent suicide has become increasingly more prevalent in recent years, with self-poisoning being a frequent means of suicide attempt. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors associated with adolescent self-poisoning. METHODS: Data on adolescents referred for intentional self-poisoning to the Adolescent Medical Unit during the years 1990-1998 were evaluated retrospectively. Data were obtained from the hospital medical records and included the following factors: sociodemographic data, educational status, agent and route of intake, motivation for overdose, and the extent of serious suicidal intent. RESULTS: We evaluated 324 cases of adolescent self-poisoners aged 12-18 years (mean +/- SD 14.8 +/- 1.5 years). The female/male ratio was 8:1. Most of the patients were attending school and lived in urban areas. Oral ingestion was the only route of intake; 84.5% of the patients ingested drugs and 10.5% non-medicinal compounds. The drug most commonly taken was acetaminophen. The non-medicinal compounds were mostly pesticides and household materials. The suicide attempts were most frequently associated with transient depression, stemming from defects in child-family communication. As based on clinical psychiatric evaluation, patients who had ingested polydrugs and non-medical compounds evidenced a significantly greater suicidal intent (chi 2 = 11.9, P < 0.001) compared to those who took only one or two kinds of drugs. CONCLUSIONS: We found that self-poisoning attempts occur most frequently in depressed females at junior high and high school, usually in the context of family dysfunction. Non-medicinal agents and polydrug ingestion are major risk factors for evaluating the seriousness of the suicidal intent.

Language: en