Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To identify the risk factors contributing towards deliberate self-poisoning.
METHODOLOGY: A prospective and descriptive study of patients admitted in National Poisoning Control Centre, Ward-5, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi conducted over six
months. All adult patients presenting with deliberate self-poisoning were included in the study.
The cases with accidental or homicidal poisoning and poisoning for purpose of theft and burglary were excluded from the study. The information was gathered using a questionnaire generated from World Health Organization IPCS INTOX “Recording Format for Toxic Exposure”.The
data was analyzed on computer package SPSS ver. 14.0. The results were obtained as numbers
and percentageswith means and standard deviation where applicable.
RESULTS: 374 patients were analyzed during this period. The age group most frequent (54.3 %)
is within the range of 15-24 years and 61.5 % of the subjects were male. Most of the patients
were illiterate, with no employment and were unmarried. The toxic substance most commonly
employed for attempted suicide was pesticide; it was taken most frequently orally, at home and
during daytime. It was the first attempt for the majority of the subjects. Most subjects belonged
to lower socioeconomic class and had no dependents. 34.5 % had history of drug abuse, 16.3 %
had history of psychiatric illness. Few subjects had physical illness or history of suicide or
parasuicide in family.
CONCLUSION: Deliberate self-poisoning is a significant problem among the male youth in Pakistan. Lower socioeconomic status, changing social mores and stress contribute towards deliberate self-poisoning.
Farhat Bashir, Jamal Ara, Santosh Kumar . (2014) Deliberate Self Poisoning at National Poisoning Control Centre , Journal of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Volume-13, Issue-1.
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