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Deliberate self-poisoning presenting at a rural hospital in Northern Ireland 1976–1996: relationship to prescribing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

C.B. Kelly ,
J. Weir ,
T. Rafferty  and
R. Galloway
C.B. Kelly*
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health, The Queen’s University of Belfast, Whitla Building, 97 Lisburn Rd, BelfastBT97BL, N Ireland
J. Weir
Affiliation:
Craigavon Area Hospital, Craigavon, County Armagh, N Ireland
T. Rafferty
Affiliation:
Drug Utilisation Research Unit, The Queen’s University of Belfast, Belfast, N Ireland
R. Galloway
Affiliation:
Craigavon Area Hospital, Craigavon, County Armagh, N Ireland
*
*Correspondence and reprints
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Summary

Purpose – This study reports on a project to monitor deliberate self-poisoning in a rural area of Northern Ireland over a 20-year period. Comparison is made with reports from large urban centres. In addition, a local prescribing database allows assessment of any association between psychotropic drug prescription and use for deliberate self-poisoning. Materials and methods – Frequency of self-poisoning, demographic details and drugs used were recorded for all episodes of deliberate self-poisoning occurring at Craigavon Area Hospital for the years 1976, 1986, 1991 and 1996. It was possible to compare prescriptions of psychotropic drugs with their use for deliberate self-poisoning between the years 1991 and 1996 in the region served by the hospital, using the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) system. Results – In this rural area the pattern of deliberate self-poisoning has changed, as in urban centres, with a rise in frequency and the male/female ratio approaching unity. The pattern of drug use has altered, with paracetamol overtaking benzodiazepines as the most commonly used agent. More recently, antidepressants have become the second most frequently used drug class for this purpose. Psychotropic medications used for self-poisoning altered in proportion to their prescription between the years 1991 and 1996. Conclusions – In the face of a continuing rise in deliberate self-poisoning, which is effecting both urban and rural areas, care should be taken to prescribe the least toxic agent available as this is associated with likely frequency of self-poisoning for most classes of psychotropic drug.

Keywords

antidepressantsattempted suicideoverdoseparacetamol
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 15 , Issue 6 , September 2000 , pp. 348 - 353
Copyright
Copyright ©Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS 2000

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