Battery acid--an agent of attempted suicide in black South Africans

Over a 36-month period 27 black adults, who had taken battery acid in apparent suicide attempts, were admitted to a major South African general hospital for assessment and treatment. There were no deaths. Patient features included limited schooling, unemployment and a male/female ratio of 2.4:1. Triggers were minor to moderate stressors (mainly domestic arguments) in 23 patients. Nine had a diagnosable psychiatric disorder and 5 required further psychiatric hospitalisation following discharge from the general hospital. The reported high mortality rate from acid ingestion was not observed; however, 4 patients required surgical intervention to deal with stricture formation. The average duration of stay was 7.6 days. There were no repeat suicide attempts during the study period.