BMJ 1994;308:1569-1570 (11 June)

Letters

Increase in parasuicide in Scotland

EDITOR, - Peter Beck and colleagues report an increase in the absolute number of men, and the ratio of men to women, admitted for self poisoning in South Glamorgan during 1986-92.1 The increased mortality in the decade after an admission for self poisoning2,3 or other form of deliberate self harm3 is well recognised.

As part of a wider review of suicide being undertaken in our department the information and statistics division of the Directorate of Information Services provided us with the annual numbers of male and female patients discharged after parasuicide (E950-959) in Scotland for 1982-92. Both the absolute number of such discharges and the ratio of males to females have risen (table). 


Numbers of people resident in Scotland who were discharged
from hospital after parasuicide, 1982-92.
----------------------------------------------------------
                                            Male: female
          Male       Female       Total        ratio
----------------------------------------------------------
1982     3 897       5 670        9 567        0.69
1983     3 675       5 400        9 075        . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Increasing rate of deliberate self poisoning
P Beck, R Scorer, J Lazarus, P Smith, and P Routledge
BMJ 1994 308: 789. [Extract] [Full Text]

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