Table 5.
Rates of psychiatric illness and alcohol use in those who have attempted self-poisoning
| Study | Method of Psychiatric Assessment | Rates of psychiatric illness and alcohol use among study participants (and details where available) |
|---|---|---|
| Fernando 1977 [35] |
Participants interviewed as part of the study. Further details of psychiatric assessment not available. |
• Psychiatric illness: 15.9% (this included schizophrenia, depression and mental retardation) |
| Chandrasena 1981 [29] |
Participants interviewed as part of the study. Further details of psychiatric assessment not available. |
• Psychiatric illness – 13% |
| • Alcoholism – 2% | ||
| Senanayake et al. 1986 [36] |
Information based on administrative records. |
• Psychiatric illness - 5% (in Jaffna region) & 2.3% (in Peradeniya region) |
| • Alcohol consumption at time of poisoning: 4% (in Peradeniya region) | ||
| Hettiarachchi et al. 1989 [33] |
Participants interviewed as part of the study. Further details of psychiatric assessment not available. |
• Psychiatric illness – 13.4% (Depression and schizophrenia present in equal numbers, in 77% of psychiatric illness) |
| • Alcoholism - 7% | ||
| Seneviratne et al. 1999 [37] |
A psychiatric assessment of each participant was conducted by a specialist psychiatrist. |
• Depression – 18.5% |
| • Schizophrenia – 1.2% | ||
| • Alcoholism – 10.7% | ||
| Eddleston et al. 1999 [25] |
Participants interviewed as part of the study. No formal psychiatric assessment. |
• Alcohol intoxicated at the time of self-poisoning: 50% of male participants |
| De Silva et al. 2000 [34] |
Data obtained from hospital records. |
• Use of alcohol before/during self-poisoning: 6% |
| Van Der Hoek et al. 2005 [14] |
A small subsample of the study population was assessed using a questionnaire based on the Composite Diagnostic Interview Short Form (CIDI-SF). |
• Alcohol dependence is significantly associated with increased risk of self-poisoning. |
| • No significant association between depression and self-poisoning (sub sample) | ||
| • Alcohol intoxicated at time of self-poisoning: 36% | ||
| Konradsen et al. 2006 [22] | Based on interviews and focus group discussions. | • Life threatening illness or disability or mental illness– 8% |
| • Alcohol intoxicated at time of self-poisoning: 32% (all males) |