Citation

Farmer R, Creed FH. Br. J. Med. Psychol. 1986; 59(4): 311-316.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1986, British Psychological Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3801339

Abstract

Patients admitted to hospital following deliberate self-poisoning have been shown to have high levels of hostility, but the exact role of hostility in self-poisoning is not clear. It was hypothesized that those subjects with marked depression would have high intro-punitive scores whereas those deliberately poisoning themselves who did not have marked depression would have high extra-punitive scores. Seventy young adults admitted to hospital following deliberate self-poisoning completed the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire and half of these subjects had an identifiable depressive syndrome. Very high intro-punitive scores were found in the depressed subjects but high extra-punitive scores were found in all deliberate self-poisoning subjects irrespective of depression. This suggests that extra-punitiveness might distinguish self-poisoners from other psychiatric patients. Within the self-poisoning group, high intro-punitive scores were associated with greatest suicidal intent but further studies are needed to see if these are an aspect of the depression or part of the personality.

Language: en