Youth Suicide Study Group (NES), The Hospital Santa Maria, Psychiatry, Department, Lisbon Faculty of Medicine, Portugal.
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2009;5:611-7. doi: 10.2147/ndt.s7488. Epub 2009 Nov 16.
Deliberate self-harm (DSH) among adolescents is a high-risk condition for suicide. The aim of the present study is to describe the characteristic clinical features of adolescents with DSH according to our local context (Lisbon, Portugal), using easily available information from clinical settings. A case control study was constructed from a sample of 100 adolescents (aged 12 to 21 years). The sample was divided into two groups: adolescents with and without DSH. Case files were examined and data was completed by clinical interviews. Demographic, psychosocial, and psychopathological data were assessed and compared. Ninety-eight subjects completed the protocol. The DSH group was associated with the following: suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior as consultation motive, emergency room referral, previous follow-up attempts, suicidal ideation, psychosocial difficulties, or lack of therapeutic goals. There was a nonsignificant trend towards diagnosis of depression in the DSH group. These results reflect our clinical practice with adolescents and add data about teenagers who self-harm to the literature. Prevention and early recognition of DSH (and frequently associated depression) in adolescents are essential and could be life-saving measures. An integrated approach, which takes into account psychosocial difficulties, family dysfunction, and negative expectations, seems to be of great importance.
青少年蓄意自伤是自杀的高风险因素。本研究旨在根据我们当地的情况(葡萄牙里斯本),使用临床环境中易于获得的信息,描述青少年蓄意自伤的特征性临床特征。一项病例对照研究从 100 名青少年(年龄在 12 至 21 岁之间)中构建了一个样本。该样本分为两组:有和没有蓄意自伤的青少年。对病例档案进行了检查,并通过临床访谈完成了数据。评估和比较了人口统计学、社会心理和精神病理数据。98 名受试者完成了方案。蓄意自伤组与以下因素相关:自杀意念或自杀行为作为咨询动机、急诊转诊、之前的随访尝试、自杀意念、社会心理困难或缺乏治疗目标。在蓄意自伤组中,有抑郁诊断的趋势,但无统计学意义。这些结果反映了我们对青少年的临床实践,并为文献中关于青少年自残的内容增加了数据。预防和及早发现青少年的蓄意自伤(以及经常伴随的抑郁)至关重要,这可能是挽救生命的措施。综合考虑社会心理困难、家庭功能障碍和负面期望的方法似乎非常重要。