A Study of Deliberate Self-Harm and Its Repetition Among Patients Presenting to an Emergency Department

Abstract

The findings show that DSH patients in Hong Kong show some marked differences compared to those in Oxford. Implications for the prevention of repeated DSH in Hong Kong are discussed.

Non-fatal repetition of self-harm in Taipei City, Taiwan: cohort study

“…Recent evidence from Hong Kong shows a different picture. 13 The reported 6-month repetition rate was 16.7%, a figure similar to findings from the West, with self-poisoning by medicine (mainly painkillers and sleeping pills) being the most common method used. However, the Hong Kong study recruited cases from a single hospital and had a small sample size (n = 92).…”

“…unemployment, clinical diagnosis, childhood sexual or physical abuse) is recorded. 13,16,20 The second limitation is that our cohort was based on people presenting to hospital emergency departments following self-harm; individuals who did not present to hospital or consult with private doctors would not be captured by the system, leading to underestimation of the risk of repeat self-harm. Last, movement out of the study catchment area by cohort members who left Taipei City may influence the estimated rate of self-harm repetition.…”

The Incidence and Repetition of Hospital-Treated Deliberate Self Harm: Findings from the World's First National Registry

“…In particular, the higher rate in women, the peak in early adult life and the predominance of drug overdose as a method of self harm seem to be consistent across difference cultures [24]–[26]. However, rates of self-cutting particularly in men are higher in Ireland than in most other regions in Europe [14].…”

Surviving moment to moment: The experience of living in a state of ambivalence for those with recurrent suicide attempts

“…They are reported to exhibit more severe psychological and social challenges that include struggling with future‐oriented thinking (McLeod et al ., ); emotional dysregulation (Linehan, ); decreased levels of emotional awareness (Levine, Marziali, & Hood, ); difficulties in problem‐solving (Hawton & Kirk, ); and challenges in interpersonal relationships (Kern, Kuehnel, Teuber, & Hayden, ). Such distinctions have been associated with higher complexity and comorbidities of severe psychiatric disorders (Da Cruz et al ., ; Monnin et al ., ); interactions between neurobiological factors and stress (Mann, ); and/or psychological and social risk factors including histories of trauma (Links, Kolla, Guimond, & McMain, ; Yip et al ., ), living in poverty (da Silva Cais et al ., ; Sinclair, Hawton, & Gray, ), and being female (Brådvik & Berglund, ; Scoliers, Portzky, van Heeringen, & Audenaert, ). However, it is unclear how these risk factors interact and they are inadequate predictors of suicide on an individual basis.…”