TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2005//
TI  - Epidemiology of intentional self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka
JO  - British journal of psychiatry
A1  - Eddleston, Michael
A1  - Gunnell, David
A1  - Karunaratne, Ayanthi
A1  - de Silva, Damani
A1  - Sheriff, M. H. R.
A1  - Buckley, Nicholas A.
SP  - 583
EP  - 584
VL  - 187
IS  - 
N2  - We investigated the epidemiology of intentional self-poisoning in rural Sri Lanka by prospectively recording 2189 admissions to two secondary hospitals. Many patients were young (median age 25 years), male (57%) and used pesticides (49%). Of the 198 who died,156 were men (case fatality 12.4%) and 42 were women (4.5%). Over half of female deaths were in those under 25 years old; male deaths were spread more evenly across age groups. Oleander and paraquat caused 74% of deaths in people under 25 years old; thereafter organophosphorous pesticides caused many deaths. Although the age pattern of self-poisoning was similar to that of industrialised countries, case fatality was more than 15 times higher and the pattern of fatal self-poisoning different.
LA  - 
SN  - 0007-1250
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.187.6.583
ID  - ref1
ER  -