A survey of attempted suicide in Shropshire

The number of patients who are referred for a psychiatric opinion as cases of attempted suicide seems to be increasing. One hundred and seven patients, 70 females and 37 males, were referred to the author during the period of the one year study, all but three were cases of deliberate self-poisoning. Only a minority of the group, three males and 11 females, regretted that the attempted had not been successful and all were admitted to the psychiatric hospital. A large majority of the patients were provisionally diagnosed as suffering from a reactive depression, consequent in many instances upon the breakdown of some aspect of interpersonal relationships.