Deliberate self-poisoning in children and adolescents.

Abstract

Deliberate self-poisoning is only one method a child may choose for suicidal or self-destructive purposes. In general, the lethality of a self-poisoning act is relatively low when compared to other methods of suicidal behavior. However, the circumstances surrounding a particular self-poisoning act may be such that the lethality may be considered quite high. Therefore, all aspects of the self-poisoning event must be given careful attention.The reasons a child may have for deliberately poisoning himself vary from intense momentary discontent to long-term emotional distress. Regardless of how benign the self-poisoning act appears to be, it may be a signal that the child is in distress and in need of psychosocial intervention. Burrowes eloquently expresses his own view of the rationale for self-poisoning in children and adolescents as followsSelf-poisoning in older children and adolescents is probably increasing, and I do not believe we understand the reason for this. I sometimes wonder if it is a desperate a...