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Deliberate Self-Harm: A Follow-Up Study of 279 Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

H. Gethin Morgan ,
Jacqueline Barton ,
Susan Pottle ,
Helen Pocock  and
Christopher J. Burns-Cox
H. Gethin Morgan
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, University of Bristol and Avon Area Health Authority, 39/41 St Michael's Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DZ
Jacqueline Barton
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, University of Bristol, 39/41 St Michael's Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DZ
Susan Pottle
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, University of Bristol, 39/41 St Michael's Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DZ
Helen Pocock
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, University of Bristol, 39/41 St Michael's Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DZ
Christopher J. Burns-Cox
Affiliation:
Frenchay Hospital, Bristol
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Summary

Two-hundred-and-seventy-nine patients (103 men, 176 women) were followed-up 1–2 years after an act of non-fatal deliberate self-harm. Of 155 patients offered a psychiatric out-patient appointment at the time, only 68 completed the treatment. A further act of deliberate self-harm was committed by 26 men and 41 women within twelve months. The factors most highly associated with repetition were previous psychiatric treatment, a previous act of deliberate self-harm, and a criminal record. These factors held good for a separate series of patients. Significantly more repeaters received prolonged psychiatric care after the initial episode of deliberate self-harm. The implications of these findings for the clinical management of such patients are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 128 , Issue 4 , April 1976 , pp. 361 - 368
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1976 

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