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General Health Status in a Cohort of Iranian Patients with Intentional Self‑poisoning: A Preventive Approach
Abstract
Background: Prevention of suicide is one of the most important
issues of community medicine in the world. Because of high
accessibility of people to different drugs in our society, one of
the easiest ways of suicide is intentional self‑poisoning. In this
study, demographic factors and health status of the patients with intentional self‑poisoning were evaluated.
Methods: A cross‑sectional study was conducted in the poisoning
referral center on 384 patients aged 15–40 years who committed intentional self‑poisoning. Information was gathered using two questionnaires about demographic characteristics and the general health status of the patients.
Results: 70.5% of the patients had easy accessibility to drugs. Most of the patients were women (62.5%) and single (51%). History of psychological disease was demonstrated in 82.5% of patients. In terms of general health status, the most common problems were social dysfunction (97.57%) and depression (88.9%).
Conclusion: Easy accessibility to drugs and psychological problems may increase the risk of intentional self‑poisoning. Being religious and the consequent hopefulness may have a positive protecting effect for the prevention of intentional self‑poisoning.
Keywords: Demographic characteristics, general health status,
intentional self‑poisoning, suicide
issues of community medicine in the world. Because of high
accessibility of people to different drugs in our society, one of
the easiest ways of suicide is intentional self‑poisoning. In this
study, demographic factors and health status of the patients with intentional self‑poisoning were evaluated.
Methods: A cross‑sectional study was conducted in the poisoning
referral center on 384 patients aged 15–40 years who committed intentional self‑poisoning. Information was gathered using two questionnaires about demographic characteristics and the general health status of the patients.
Results: 70.5% of the patients had easy accessibility to drugs. Most of the patients were women (62.5%) and single (51%). History of psychological disease was demonstrated in 82.5% of patients. In terms of general health status, the most common problems were social dysfunction (97.57%) and depression (88.9%).
Conclusion: Easy accessibility to drugs and psychological problems may increase the risk of intentional self‑poisoning. Being religious and the consequent hopefulness may have a positive protecting effect for the prevention of intentional self‑poisoning.
Keywords: Demographic characteristics, general health status,
intentional self‑poisoning, suicide