Intentional Self-harm in Children and Adolescents: A Study from Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Services of a Tertiary Care Hospital

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the socio-demographic and the clinical profile of children and adolescents presenting with Intentional self-harm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Records of all children and adolescents (≤19 years) seen by the consultation liaison (CL) services during the period of 2000-2012 were screened. Patients with a diagnosis of intentional self-harm (at the time of assessment) were taken up for this study. Data was extracted from the records, to study the socio-demographic and clinical profile. RESULTS: During the study period, 101 patients aged ≤19 years and diagnosed with intentional self-harm at the time of admission were evaluated by the psychiatry CL services in various emergency and medical surgical wards. In the study population, females (N = 61; 60.4%) outnumbered males. The age of the patients ranged from 12 to 19 with a median and mean of 17.0 years (standard deviation-1.6 years; interquartile range 16-18 years). Children and adolescent with self harm were more commonly females, from nuclear families, middle socio-economic status and Hindu by religion. The common method of self-harm in adolescents is by ingestion of insecticides (65%) and the self-harm behavior was often precipitated by interpersonal problems in the family context. About one-fifth of the patients have psychiatric morbidity. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the most common method of intentional self-harm in children and adolescents is consumption of insecticides and precipitated by interpersonal problems in the family context.