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Distress Behaviour: a Study of Selected Samaritan Clients and Parasuicides (‘Attempted Suicide’ Patients)

Part I: General Aspects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Norman Kreitman
Affiliation:
Medical Research Council Unit for Epidemiological Studies in Psychiatry, University Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF
Nilima Chowdhury
Affiliation:
M.R.C. Unit for Epidemiological Studies in Psychiatry; now Senior Social Worker, Child Guidance Clinic, Maidenhead, Berkshire

Extract

This paper represents part of a study into what determines the action taken by individuals in distress. More specifically we were concerned to elucidate why some people attempt to find relief by seeking support and guidance from an appropriate agency, while others resort to self-aggressive behaviour. Two groups of subjects have been investigated, one consisting of certain clients seeking help from the Telephone Samaritans organization, while the other comprises patients who had engaged in acts generally described as ‘attempted suicide’ but better termed ‘parasuicide’ (Kreitman et al., 1969) or ‘deliberate self-poisoning or self-injury’ (Kessel, 1965).

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1973 

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