Citation

Bilén K, Pettersson H, Owe-Larsson B, Ekdahl K, Ottosson C, Castrén M, Ponzer S. J. Affect. Disord. 2014; 152-154: 320-325.

Affiliation

Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Section of Internal Medicine, Södersjukhuset, SE-118 83 Stockholm, Sweden; Section of Emergency Medicine, Sweden. Electronic address: katarina.bilen@sodersjukhuset.se.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jad.2013.09.032

PMID

24148790

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Patients who deliberately harm themselves often repeat their self-destructive acts. The objective of this study was to assess whether a follow-up visit within 10 days to a psychiatric consultant could reduce the frequency of repeated deliberate self-harm (DSH). METHODS: A cohort of 325 consecutive DSH patients attending two large emergency departments in Stockholm, Sweden, were included and followed for 6 months. Any visit to a psychiatric consultant within 10 days was registered as an early follow-up. Repeated DSH episode within 6 months among the 325 patients was detected via nationwide registers. Main outcome measure: Repeated DSH within 6 months. RESULTS: At 6 months follow-up 22 (24%) of 92 patients with an early follow-up had repeated their DSH acts compared to 58 (25%) of 233 patients without an early follow-up (OR 1.06 (95% CI: 0.60-1.85) p-value 0.85). After adjustment for possible confounders, multivariable analysis showed an OR of 1.22 (95% CI: 0.62-2.38, p-value 0.56). LIMITATIONS: Early follow-up was registered as any visit to a psychiatric consultant and no information regarding actions taken at the visit were obtained. CONCLUSION: After adjusting for other factors associated with repetition there was an association of patients who were offered and thereafter attended an early follow-up visit and a decreased risk of repeated DSH.

Language: en