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Biomedical subjects

K Hawton

Publications and source records attributed to K Hawton.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Motivational aspects of deliberate self-poisoning in adolescents.

A systematic study of 50 adolescent self-poisoners aged from 13 to 18 demonstrated considerable discrepancies between the reasons chosen by the subjects to explain the overdoses and those chosen by clinical assessors. Most adolescents indicated that they had been feeling lonely or unwanted, or angry with someone, and had taken the overdose to alleviate or demonstrate this distress. A third said they had wanted to die. In contrast, clinical assessors tended to attribute the overdose to punitive or manipulative reasons and suggested that only seven out of the 50 had wished to die. The adolescents rarely indicated that they had taken the overdose to get help; this may explain the resistance that may be shown to psychiatric intervention, that casts doubt on the possible effectiveness of preventive agencies. Modification of attitudes to both self-poisoning and early help-seeking may be a more effective means of prevention.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Content analysis of brief psychotherapy sessions.

In studying the process of psychotherapy, detailed and reliable methods of describing the components are required. Such a method for content analysis of brief psychotherapy sessions is described. It is comprehensive and has satisfactory inter-rater reliability. It proved to have predictive validity in that it identified characteristics of the treatment approach, and most of the changes in therapeutic activity during the course of treatment, that had been predicted beforehand. In addition, similar patterns in the use of therapeutic strategies were found for therapists from different professional backgrounds trained in the same treatment approach. This method of analysis is recommended for future studies of content of psychotherapeutic treatments, including investigations of the relationship between content of treatment and outcome.

Communication↗
PubMed1981

Domiciliary and out-patient treatment of self-poisoning patients by medical and non-medical staff.

In a study of domiciliary and out-patient treatment of self-poisoning patients, using a brief problem-orientated approach, it was found that domiciliary treatment resulted in much higher attendance rates but no difference in outcome. Patients who completed out-patient treatment had a better outcome than those who failed to attend treatment sessions. Completion of out-patient treatment was more frequent among higher social class patients. Domiciliary treatment may be more appropriate in some cases for married patients and for those of lower social class. Medical and non-medical staff proved to be equally effective therapists. Future research should be concerned with evaluation of alternative methods of provision of help and further identification of patients who are most likely to benefit from treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The attitudes of psychiatrists to deliberate self-poisoning: comparison with physicians and nurses.

The attitudes of junior psychiatrists to deliberate self-poisoning were assessed on the basis of their answers to a series of questions concerning four case vignettes. They spontaneously indicated goals for the behaviour in only a minority of cases. Emphasis should be placed on identifying instrumental aspects of overdoses during training in the assessment of self-poisoning patients. The psychiatrists attributed similar reasons for the cases as did physicians and nurses who were previously investigated using the same method. However, compared with the physicians, the psychiatrists showed more sympathetic attitude to the patients and their behaviour, and a greater willingness to help them. The psychiatrists and nurses were similar in this respect. The findings are discussed in the light of recent innovations in the management of self-poisoning patients in general hospitals.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1981

Disturbances of sex hormones in anorexia nervosa in the male.

Sex hormone levels were measured in a male patient with anorexia nervosa throughout the course of his illness and recovery. Gonadotrophin levels returned to normal with weight gain but his testosterone remained low. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Sexual dysfunction and psychiatric morbidity in patients attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases.

Patients attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) were interviewed to estimate the presence of sexual dysfunction, and the GHQ-60 was used to measure psychiatric morbidity. Over one-fifth of the males and more than one-quarter of the females were experiencing sexual dysfunction problems, and the majority of them would have liked further help for their problems. The implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions are made for dealing with these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Training in the mangement of psychosexual problems.

Personnel from a variety of professional backgrounds meeting in a weekly group have been trained to carry out effective treatment of patients with psychosexual problems. The skills necessary in this type of work and the training method are described. Assessment of outcome for forty consecutive couples treated by trainees revealed significant improvement in 70%. The advantages and disadvantages of this type of training are discussed.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed1980

Association between epilepsy and attempted suicide.

In a two-year study of patients admitted to hospital after deliberate self-poisoning or self-injury, a fivefold excess of patients with epilepsy was found compared with general population prevalence rates. Males with epilepsy were particularly over-represented. Patients with epilepsy were prone to make repeat attempts. Anticonvulsants, particularly barbiturates, were used in most cases of self poisoning.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Child abuse and attempted suicide.

Of a sample of families containing abused and at risk children, in 29 per cent one or both parents had attempted suicide. The rate at which the suicide attempts were repeated within a year was higher than that expected for other attempters of the same age group. A previous history of psychiatric disturbance and marital breakdown was strongly associated with the combination of child abuse and suicidal behaviour. The relationship between child abuse and attempted suicide did not appear in most cases to have been a direct one; often both forms of behaviour seemed to reflect marital difficulties.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

The reasons people give for taking overdoses: a further inquiry.

A representative sample of 41 cases of self-poisoning was studied in depth. In each case 'reasons' for taking the overdose, both stated spontaneously and chosen from a presented list, were recorded. The commonest spontaneous reason was the 'wish to die'. Nearly one-third indicated some non-suicidal purpose early in the interview and consistently denied suicidal intent subsequently. Apart from suicidal intent, reasons chosen from the list bore little resemblance to reasons that had been offered earlier in the interview and are therefore of uncertain relevance. Three psychiatric judges attributed reasons for each case based on common-sense criteria. Several reasons were seldom or never chosen by them; four were chosen frequently with good agreement, i.e. communicating hostility, influencing others, relieving a state of mind and suicidal intent. The first two were the most frequently chosen, attributed to 71 per cent and 54 per cent of cases respectively. They were the reasons chosen least frequently by the self-poisoners themselves. Of 23 (56 per cent) subjects indicating suicidal intent, 12 (29 per cent) were judged to be suicidal by psychiatrists. These were not clearly distinguishable on the basis of their original interviews, except that those judged suicidal tended to indicate suicidal intent early in the interviews. The clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Deliberate self-poisoning and self-injury in the psychiatric hospital.

Acts of self-poisoning and self-injury carried out by in-patients and day patients while in treatment at two psychiatric hospitals were recorded over a one-year period. Comparison with results from a survey based on referrals to a general hospital in the same area demonstrated that the rate at which these events occurred was over 50 times greater for patients in psychiatric care than in the general population. A larger proportion of the psychiatric hospital incidents involved self-injury. Analysis of the records of a consecutive series of all psychiatric hospital patients revealed that at least one-third had a previous history of self-poisoning or self-injury. Of the patients carrying out such acts in one hospital, 77 per cent had a history of this behaviour prior to admission. Clusters of incidents were identified. Possible factors underlying this behaviour in the hospital setting and means of prevention are suggested.

England↗