Suicide by self-inflicted burns

Eighty-nine patients who had made an attempt on their life by self-burning were reviewed. For 12 years (1983-94) these patients were treated at the Institute of Emergency Medicine 'Pirogov', Sofia (Bulgaria). The gender distribution was almost equal (48 males: 41 females); the most vulnerable age was 20-40 years (57 patients) (64.05 per cent). Flame was the preferred thermal agent of attempted suicide (chosen by 72 patients), followed by electricity (11 patients). Thirty-one of the injured persons died (34.8 per cent). Forty-six of those who survived were operated on (116 surgical interventions: an average of 2.52 operations per patient) the mean length of treatment was 56.3 days. Eleven of the operated patients died subsequently (average stay in the hospital 8.20 days). There were some difficulties in collecting data about this method of self-harming. Twenty-three of the patients had recognized psychic disorders, in 43 of the patients the accident was preceeded by an agitated depression; in 15 by severe alcoholism. Emphasis is placed on the role of joint teams of physicians, psychologists and sociologists, for the treatment of these difficult patients.