Related Experiment Videos
Pain and deliberate self-harm: an important association
Megan Theodoulou1, Louise Harriss, Keith Hawton
1University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, England, UK.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|July 5, 2005
Summary
Pain contributed to 4% of deliberate self-harm episodes. Patients experiencing pain were older with higher suicide intent but had fewer psychiatric issues. Collaboration between hospitals and pain clinics is recommended.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Pain Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a significant public health concern.
- Concurrent medical problems are common in DSH patients.
- The role of pain as a factor in DSH requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of pain as a contributing factor in episodes of deliberate self-harm.
- To characterize patients who engage in DSH with pain compared to those without pain.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case note examination.
- Analysis of DSH patients with concurrent medical problems admitted to a general hospital over a 2-year period.
Main Results:
- Pain was a contributory factor in 75 (4%) of 1665 DSH episodes.
- DSH patients with pain were older, had higher suicide intent scores, and lower rates of prior psychiatric illness or substance misuse.
- Despite chronic pain (over 6 months) in 60%, only 12% were attending a Pain Clinic.
Conclusions:
- Closer collaboration between general hospital services and pain clinics is needed for DSH patients with painful disorders.
- Clinicians must assess suicidal ideation and self-harm risk in patients with painful conditions.
- Improved management strategies for pain in DSH patients may reduce self-harm incidence.