In the Trent region in 1976, 1769 (0·6%) of the 319,907 patients discharged alive from non-psychiatric hospitals discharged themselves. Self-discharge was more common among males and among young adults. The majority (83%) had been admitted as emergencies, but one-third of all self-discharges took place on the day of admission and three-quarters had occurred after two days. One-third of the patients had been admitted as a result of poisoning by medicinal agents. Other patients suffered from conditions which suggested that they put themselves or the community at risk by discharging themselves. The causes and implications of self-discharge from general hospitals need to be studied more intensively so that medical and nursing staff might be better informed when dealing with patients who threaten to discharge themselves.