@article{f4d74e508a9711df928f000ea68e967b,
title = "The prevalence of previous self-harm amongst self-poisoning patients in Sri Lanka",
abstract = "Background: One of the most important components of suicide prevention strategies is to target people who repeat self-harm as they are a high risk group. However, there is some evidence that the incidence of repeat self-harm is lower in Asia than in the West. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of previous self-harm among a consecutive series of self-harm patients presenting to hospitals in rural Sri Lanka. Method: Six hundred and ninety-eight self-poisoning patients presenting to medical wards at two hospitals in Sri Lanka were interviewed about their previous episodes of self-harm. Results: Sixty-one (8.7%, 95% CI 6.7-11%) patients reported at least one previous episode of self-harm [37 (10.7%) male, 24 (6.8%) female]; only 19 (2.7%, 95% CI 1.6-4.2%) patients had made more than one previous attempt. Conclusion: The low prevalence of previous self-harm is consistent with previous Asian research and is considerably lower than that seen in the West. Explanations for these low levels of repeat self-harm require investigation. Our data indicate that a focus on the aftercare of those who attempt suicide in Sri Lanka may have a smaller impact on suicide incidence than may be possible in the West.",
author = "Fahim Mohamed and Aravinda Perera and Kusal Wijayaweera and Keerthi Kularatne and Shaluka Jayamanne and Michael Eddleston and Andrew Dawson and Flemming Konradsen and David Gunnell",
year = "2011",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1007/s00127-010-0217-z",
language = "English",
volume = "46",
pages = "517--20",
journal = "Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology",
issn = "0933-7954",
publisher = "Springer Medizin",
number = "6",
}
