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Attitudes of Psychiatric Patients to Deliberate Self-poisoning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Keith Hawton ,
John Bancroft  and
Susan Simkin
Keith Hawton
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
John Bancroft
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
Susan Simkin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
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Summary

Attitudes towards self-poisoning were investigated in 80 psychiatric patients, half of whom themselves had previously taken overdoses. They were asked to comment about self-poisoners in general, and on four specific cases in particular. In addition to motives spontaneously suggested they were asked to choose from a list of alternative motives in explaining each case.

The subjects who had previously taken overdoses differed from the rest in seeing such behaviour as more often due to a disturbed state of mind and less often an expression of hostility. Both groups tended to see self-poisoners as mentally ill; and, unless they were offered a ‘vocabulary’ of goal-directed motives, they tended to see the behaviour as a reaction to events (i.e. expressive) rather than goal-oriented (i.e. Insteurnental). The implications of these findings are discussed.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 132 , Issue 1 , January 1978 , pp. 31 - 35
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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References

Bancroft, J. H. J., Skrimshire, A. M. & Simkin, S. (1976) The reasons people give for taking overdoses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 128, 538–48.Google Scholar
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Hawton, K. Bancroft, J. H. J., Simkin, S., Kingston, B., Cumming, C. & Whitwell, D. Motivation for deliberate self-poisoning (in preparation).Google Scholar
Ramon, S., Bancroft, J. H. J. & Skrimshire, A. M. (1975) Attitudes towards self-poisoning among physicians and nurses in a general hospital. British Journal of Psychiatry, 127, 257–64.Google Scholar
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