[Deliberate self-inflicted injuries and depressive symptomatology in adolescent students]

: to estimate the frequency of Deliberate Self Harm (DSH), some of its characteristics, and its relationship with current depressive symptomatology.

data were collected from two cohorts of middle-school students from Mexico City. The questionnaire included the: CESD-R, the Parasuicide Indicators Schedule (PIS) and other instruments to assess peer and family violence, and exposure to drug use.

the sample included 792 students (mean age of 14 ± 0.97 years). Women reported a higher frequency of DSH sometime in their life. Men reported DSH more than once, and their motivation was emotional, while women was interpersonal causes. The manner of DSH used by subjects were considerated lethal. Subjects who informed DSH also informed high actual depressive symptomatology (in the last seven days).

DSH is a risk factor to suicide and it is related to the presence of current depressive symptoms. It was a stressful situation for adolescents. Thus, it is important to keep both problems in mind as elements contributing to assessing risk factors and to include them when we are designing prevention and treatment strategies in this health field.