|
KMID : 0897520040090010003
|
|
Journal of Korean Association of Social Psychiatry
2004 Volume.9 No. 1 p.3 ~ p.9
|
|
|
Psychiatric Characteristics of Patients with Intentional Self Harm in E.R.
|
|
Han Seung-Woo
Yoo Hee-Jeong
Chae Su-Kwang
Yoon Doh-Joon
Bahn Geon-Ho
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
Objectives： Patients admitted to the emergency room with self-injurious behavior has been regarded simply as suicidal act. However, it needs to be distinguished bewteen actual suicide and deliberate self harm. Thus, this study was performed to examine the clinical characteristics of patients with intentional self harm(ISH).
Methods： The hospital charts of 152 patients(female：103, male：49) with self injurious behavior having evaluated by psychiatrist at the emergency room at Kyunghee University Hospital from January, 1995 to December, 1998. Clinical characteristics of intentional self harm were examined by sex, age, means, injury degree, motive, underlying psychotic disorders, and past history of ISH.
Results：The female to male ratio was 2.17：1. The incidence increases markedly among third decade age group. Mean age of female patients was 31.3 and 32.6 for males. The most common method for intentional self harm was drugs or chemicals(60%). Among them, drug prescribed in the department of psychiatry was the highest(39%), and the wrist cutting was the second. Regarding the self mutilation, most of them were superficially or moderately injured. The most frequent reason for intentional self harm were interpersonal or intrafamilial conflicts. 54% of patients were supposed to be accompanied with psychiatric disorder, but 61.2% of patients had no history of psychiatric treatment. 14.2% of them also had previous history of intentional self harm.
Conclusion： It is necessary to consider whether it is appropriate to classify ISH as a simple act when no comorbidi-ties are diagnosed. And it is necessary to classify the injurious behavior into suicidal act and self mutilation. Psychiatrists should make different strategies to manage these self injurious patients whenever it is possible.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Intentional self-harm, Suicide
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|