Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T14:32:45.813Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Self-Poisoning in Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

H. C. White
H. C. White*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychiatry, The United Birmingham Hospitals; The General Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, 4
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Studies in Great Britain concerning intentional self-harm in adolescents have been few (Haldane and Haider, 1967; Leese, 1969). Such behaviour amongst teenagers is now common, and usually takes the form of self-poisoning with drugs; in fact it is probably becoming commoner, although the reasons for this are not altogether clear. The present survey concerns 50 consecutive patients aged between 14 and 19 years, admitted to the General Hospital, Birmingham, following self-harm behaviour in 1970 and 1971. The lower age limit for the group was determined by hospital admission policy, since children under 14 are admitted elsewhere in the city. All the patients had taken drug overdoses, and none had used other methods of self-harm, such as wrist-slashing. All cases classified as intoxication or poisoning within these age limits admitted to the hospital during the relevant period were scrutinized, and care was taken to make sure that no cases of intentional self-harm were being overlooked amongst so-called accidental poisoning. All patients in the intentional self-poisoning group were interviewed by the psychiatrist within 24 hours of regaining full consciousness. Information was obtained in a standard form covering specific aspects of the history. The parents (when available and willing) were seen either by medical staff or by a social worker in an open-ended interview. The Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and Raven's Progressive Matrices test were administered by the psychiatrist at a later date, when all drug effects had worn off.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 124 , Issue 578 , January 1974 , pp. 24 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1974 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Balser, B. H., and Masterton, J. F. (1959). ‘Suicide in adolescents.’ American Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 400–4.Google Scholar
Banter, J. T., Swaback, D. O., and Todd, D. (1968). ‘Adolescent suicidal attempts. A follow-up study of of hospitalized patients.’ Archives of General Psychiatry, 19, 523–7.Google Scholar
Belle, F., Thiot, C., and Rivaille, C. (1970). ‘Psychological study of 50 suicidal adolescents.’ Revue de Neuropsychiatrie Infantile et d'Hygiene Mentale de l'Enfance, 18, 239–48.Google Scholar
Bergstand, C. G., and Otto, U. (1962). ‘Suicidal attempts in adolescence and childhood.’ Acta Paediatrica, Stockholm, 51, 17–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruhn, J. G. (1962). ‘Broken homes among attempted suicides and psychiatric out-patients: a comparative study.’ Journal of Mental Science, 108, 772–9.Google Scholar
Evans, J. G. (1967). ‘Deliberate self-poisoning in the Oxford area.’ British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine, 21, 97–107.Google Scholar
Gabrielson, I. W., Klerman, L. V., Currie, J. B., Tyler, N. C., and Jekel, J. F. (1970). ‘Suicide attempts in a population pregnant as teenagers.’ American Journal of Public Health and the Nation's Health, 60, 2289–301.Google Scholar
Haldane, J. D., and Haider, R. (1967). ‘Attempted suicide in children and adolescents.’ British Journal of Clinical Practice, 21, 587–91.Google Scholar
Jacobziner, H. (1965). ‘Attempted suicides in adolescence.’ Journal of the American Medical Association, 191, 7–11.Google Scholar
Leese, S. M. (1969). ‘Suicide behaviour in 20 adolescents.’ British Journal of Psychiatry, 115, 479–80.Google Scholar
Middleton, G. D., Ashby, D. W., and Clark, F. (1961). ‘An analysis of attempted suicide in an urban industrial district.’ Practitioner, 187, 776–82.Google Scholar
Moch, M. (1969). ‘Étude comparative des tentatives de suicide de l'enfant et de l'adolescent observées dans trois services de pédiatrie et de celles recueillies dans un service de pédopsychiatrie.’ Revue de Neuropsychiatrie Infantile et d'Hygiène Mentale de l'Enfance, 17, 513–44.Google Scholar
Morphew, J. A. (1968). ‘Religion and attempted suicide.’ International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 14, 3, 188–92.Google Scholar
Morrison, G. C., and Collier, J. G. (1969). ‘Family treatment approaches to suicidal children and adolescents.’ Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 8, 140–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Porot, M., Coudert, A., and Collett, M. (1968). ‘Suicidal behaviour of adolescents.’ Psychiatrie de l'Enfant, 11, 317–69.Google Scholar
Sabbath, J. C. (1969). ‘The suicidal adolescent, the expendable child.’ Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 8, 272–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schrut, A. (1964). ‘Suicidal adolescents and children.’ Journal of the American Medical Association, 188, 1103–7.Google Scholar
Schrut, A. and Michels, T. (1969). ‘Adolescent girls who attempt suicide.’ American Journal of Psychotherapy, 23, 243–51.Google Scholar
Senseman, L. A. (1969). ‘Attempted suicide in adolescents.’ Rhode Island Medical Journal, 52, 449–51.Google Scholar
Stengel, E. (1964). Suicide and Attempted Suicide. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Stengel, E. (1970). ‘Attempted suicide.’ British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 237–8.Google Scholar
Stengel, E. and Cook, N. G. (1958). Attempted Suicide, its Social Significance and Effects. London: Institute of Psychiatry.Google Scholar
Teicher, J. D., and Jacobs, J. (1966). ‘Adolescents who attempt suicide. Preliminary findings.’ American Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 1248–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tuckman, J., and Connon, H. (1962). ‘Attempted suicide in adolescents.’ American Journal of Psychiatry, 119, 228–32.Google Scholar
White, H. C. (1972). ‘Cases of self-harm admitted to Birmingham General Hospital’ British Journal of Social Psychiatry and Community Health, 6, 60–73.Google Scholar
Whitlock, F. A., and Schapira, K. (1967). ‘Attempted suicide in Newcastle upon Tyne.’ British Journal of Psychiatry, 113, 423–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.