Self-harm and self-poisoning in southern India: choice of poisoning agents and treatment
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
OBJECTIVE: To record cases of suicide and attempted suicide among a population of 108 000 people living in a primarily rural area of southern India, with the aim of guiding policies and strategies to restrict access to poisonous compounds at community level. METHOD: Community-based surveillance over a period of 2 years. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The overall suicide rate was 71.4 per 100 000 population; the highest burden was among men. Most people died through hanging (81, 54%) and self-poisoning (46, 31%). Of the 46 who died from self-poisoning, 78.3% had taken pesticides and 19.7% had eaten poisonous plants. Eighty per cent of the self-poisoning cases obtained the poisonous substance in or in close proximity to the home, highlighting the importance of safe storage in the domestic environment. Of the 110 fatal and non-fatal self-poisoning cases, 87 (57.5%) were taken for treatment; 50 (57.4%) went to government hospitals and 37 (42.5%) to private facilities. This indicates the importance of including the private sector in the efforts to improve case management. Furthermore, the fact that 31 (67%) of the self-poisoning patients, who eventually died, were alive after 4 h provides an incentive to focus on improved case management and access to health services.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Tropical Medicine & International Health |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 7 |
Pages (from-to) | 761-5 |
Number of pages | 4 |
ISSN | 1360-2276 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Bibliographical note
Keywords: Adolescent; Adult; Female; Humans; India; Male; Middle Aged; Pesticides; Prescription Drugs; Questionnaires; Rural Health; Suicide; Suicide, Attempted; Time Factors; Young Adult
ID: 20713535