A three month study of parasuicide presenting in Kingston, Jamaica

A three month study of parasuicide presenting in Kingston, Jamaica. A case controlled study of 41 persons who attempted suicide was conducted over a three month period. The risk factors identified in this population are: being unemployed, living in rented accomodation or boarding homes, having a chronic medical illness, experiencing conflicts with parents and family members, family instability, depression and hopelessness. Drug abuse was associated with parasuicide. The more common precipitating factors include: dispute with parents, conflict with other family members and lovers quarrel. The most common method of attempting suicide seem to be the ingestion of medication. Teenagers and young adults made up the majority of cases. Depression and hopelessness were prominent features among the cases and were also identified as risk factors. These findings have important implications for the planning of health services and the management of patients.

A three month study of parasuicide presenting in Kingston, Jamaica

A three month study of parasuicide presenting in Kingston, Jamaica. A case controlled study of 41 persons who attempted suicide was conducted over a three month period. The risk factors identified in this population are: being unemployed, living in rented accomodation or boarding homes, having a chronic medical illness, experiencing conflicts with parents and family members, family instability, depression and hopelessness. Drug abuse was associated with parasuicide. The more common precipitating factors include: dispute with parents, conflict with other family members and lovers quarrel. The most common method of attempting suicide seem to be the ingestion of medication. Teenagers and young adults made up the majority of cases. Depression and hopelessness were prominent features among the cases and were also identified as risk factors. These findings have important implications for the planning of health services and the management of patients. (AU)

[Relationship between psychiatric emergencies and meteorologic factors]. / Relaciones entre las urgencias Psiquiátricas y los factores meteorológicos.

Man's environment, natural as well as artificial, may exert a pathogenic influence on man's life, according to which we could divide the population in meteorosensitive (about 60%) and non meteorosensitive. Psychic patients and patients who suffer from certain organic diseases are those ones who more frequently behave as meteorosensitive. We accept this as starting point of our work. In our paper we analysed statistically the relation among different cosmo-meteorologic factors in the incidence of psychiatric emergencies during two years separated by five years and the probable existence of seasonal rhythms in the different studied diagnostic categories. As well as partial results for every diagnostic category we elaborate as final conclusion that these relations have a multifactorial character, that is to say, there are several factors that interact to unchain certain pathology in meteorosensitive people. We emphasize the existence of seasonal cycles in certain psychiatric syndromes. These conclusions are seen specially in personality disorders, suicide attempts, anxiety crisis and disorders, drug addictions and psycho-organic diseases.

Intentos de suicidio atendidos en el Hospital Regional de Concepción / Cases of attempted suicide attended at the Hospital Regional de Concepción

Con el fin de conocer características biodemográficas, métodos, motivaciones, gravedad y recurrencia de los intentos de suicidio en la ciudad de Concepción, se estudio el total de pacientes que consultaron por este motivo durante un año en el servicio de urgencia del Hospital Clínico Regional de Concepción. Se realizó una entrevista a cada paciente en la cual se completó un cuestionario precodificado, lográndose un total de 229 casos. Destaca que la mayoría de las consultas correspondían al sexo femenino: dueñas de casa, muy jóvenes, que realizaron intentos leves utilizando preferentemente los medicamentos como método, y que, aproximadamente, un tercio tenía antecedentes de intentos previos. En éste grupo la gravedad del intento fué algo mayor. Los resultados obtenidos concuerdan en términos generales con lo encontrado por otros investigadores

The aftermath of Angie's overdose: is soap (opera) damaging to your health?

In a study designed to evaluate the behavioural impact of a fictional parasuicide--namely, Angie's overdose on the popular television soap opera EastEnders--information about cases of deliberate overdose treated in accident and emergency departments in 63 hospitals throughout Britain was obtained for the week after the televised overdose (experimental period) and the week before the overdose (control period). After adjusting for trends in the equivalent weeks in a control year (1985) the increase in the cases of parasuicide treated by hospitals during the experimental week was not found to be significant. A significant increase (31%) was found among people aged greater than or less than 45, but this is not thought to be reliable. The increase among women alone (21%) was significant with a one tailed test. Contrary to expectations there was a positive association between trends in overdose and distance from London--that is, the further the distance of the region from London the greater the increase in cases of overdose during the experimental period--and a negative association between trends in overdose and viewing figures--that is, the higher the viewing figure the less the impact on the incidence of overdoses. These findings do not lend support to the claim that there was a strong imitation effect after this televised parasuicide.

Suicide potential and behavior in children ages 4 to 12.

From a population of 662 children 12 years of age and under, seen at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, during the years 1970 to 1974, 34 severely depressed children were identified who were also self-abusive and/or suicidal. Case study revealed fragmented, pathological homes, where the children's affect disorders and behaviors were symptomatic of acute family breakdown, marital disharmony, and observed and experienced violence, both verbal and physical. Follow-up on all available children, at least three years posttreatment, revealed that no child had committed suicide. Treatment evaluation by the parents was highly positive, with the great majority of children showing fair to good recovery and adjustment.

[The burden of a general medical clinic with patients after suicide attempts]. / Die Belastung einer internmedizinischen Klinik durch Patienten nach Suizidversuchen

All 125 patients who entered the "suicide ward" of the Medical Department of a large public hospital during 1974 were analyzed according to age and sex distribution, duration of hospital stay, motivation and method of committing suicide and fate after recovering from the acute phase of intoxication. Motivation to commit suicide was mainly due to conflicting interpersonal relations. Suicide attempts were 3 times more frequent in women than in men. 49% of all suicide attempts were considered to be of the "cry for help" variety and 29% were classified as obviously ineffective but serious attempts of self-killing. The remaining 22% of patients wanted to mark a "caesura" in their lives. Since the early phase of recovery is of utmost importance for the patient's future, medical and nursing staff have to be trained and experienced in coping with the suicide patient's numerous problems. The permanent collaboration of an experienced psychiatrist within the staff of larger acute-phase hospitals is highly desirable in order to analyze the underlying social and medical problems, assess the danger of a renewed suicide attempt, start early and appropriate therapy and train hospital staff and nurses.