Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Factors Related to Suicide Attempts by Poisoning in Iranian Children


Affiliations
1 Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
2 Department of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran, Islamic Republic of
3 Department of Neurosurgery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
4 Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran
5 Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran, Islamic Republic of
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


Objective: Suicide is a major health problem especially in children. Even a large proportion of healthy children have thought about suicide attempt. Some factors are suggested as risk factors for suicide attempt among children such as prior suicide attempt as the most important risk factor. This study was designed to find out why children attempt suicide.

Methods: In a descriptive study we assessed all the 6-15 years old children with suicide attempt referred to Loghman Hakim Poison Centre. For each child a questionnaire consisted of demographic information, family information and Children's Suicide Questionnaire were completed by 2 psychiatrists and 2 psychologists.

Finding: 292 children were evaluated with the mean age of 12±1.46 years old ranging from 6 to 15 years old . 81.8% of subjects were female and 18.2% were male. It demonstrates that a higher proportion of the cases reported a history of mental illness in the family (41%). The survey of CSQ information indicated that 28% of the cases suffered from depression and 27.1% had an epileptic seizure. Family argument was present in 36.6% of the cases. 85.4% of the children attempted suicide by using pharmaceutical drugs and 55.5% of suicide attempts were at 6 p.m. to 12 p.m.

Conclusion: Mental or physical illness, living with a mentally ill family member, residing in an economically deprived neighborhoods and lack of access to proper psychiatric care in combination can induce a suicidal attempt so a multidisciplinary approach is necessary in evaluating a suicide attempt in a child.


Keywords

Children, Suicide, Iran. Children's Suicide Questionnaire. (CSQ)
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Wasserman D, Tran Thi Thanh H, Pham Thi Minh D, Goldstein M, Nordenskiöld A, Wasserman C: Suicidal process, suicidal communication and psychosocial situation of young suicide attempters in a rural Vietnamese community. World Psychiatry 2008; 7:47-53.

  • Jackson J, Nuttall RL: Risk for preadolescent suicidal behaviour: an ecological model. Child Adol Soc Work J 2001; 18:180-203.

  • Caley M, Fowler T: Suicide prevention: is more demographic information the answer? J Public Health (Oxf) 2009; 31):95-7.

  • Barker P: Basic Child Psychiatry. 6th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific. 1995; 11-25.

  • Suominen K, Isometsä E, Ostamo A, Lönnqvist J: Level of suicidal intent predicts overall mortality and suicide after attempted suicide: a 12-year follow-up study. BMC Psychiatry 2004; 4:11.

  • Seghatoleslam T, Rezaee O: Suicide among Children in Iran. Iran J Neurol 2006; 5:1-9.

  • Mehrpour O, Abdollahi M. Poison treatment centers in Iran. Hum Exp Toxicol. 2012; 31(3): 303-304.

  • Janghorbani M, Sharifirad G: Completed and attempted suicide in Ilam, Iran (1995-2002): incidence and associated factors. Arch Iran Med 2005;8:119-26.

  • Kirmayer LJ, Boothroyd LJ, Hodgins S: Attempted suicide among Inuit youth: psychosocial correlates and implications for prevention. Can J Psychiatry 1998; 43:816-22.

  • Seghatoleslam T, Rezaee O: Shahbeigi S: Suicide in Last decade in Iran. Iran J Neurol 2006; 5; 1-5.

  • Lalwani S, Sharma GA, Kabra SK, Girdhar S, Dogra TD: Suicide among children and adolescents in South Delhi (1991-2000). Indian J Pediatr 2004;71:701-3.

  • McClure GM: Suicide in children and adolescents in England and Wales 1970-1998. Br J Psychiatry 2001;178:469-74.

  • Groholt B. Wichstrom L. Suicide Among Children and Adolescents. J Paediatr 1998; 19:255-65.

  • Zhang ZQ, Guo LT: A cross-sectional study on suicide attempts in urban middle school students in Chengdu Zhonghua Liu Xing Bing Xue Za Zhi 2003;24:189-91.

  • van der Kolk BA, Perry JC, Herman JL:Childhood origins of self-destructive behavior. Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:1665-71.

  • Shaffer D, Gould MS, Fisher P, Trautman P, Moreau D, Kleinman M, Flory M: Psychiatric diagnosis in child and adolescent suicide. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1996; 53:339-48.

  • Farzaneh E, Mehrpour O, Alfred S, Moghaddam HH, Behnoush B, Seghatoleslam T: Self-poisoning suicide attempts among students in Tehran, Iran. Psychiatr Danub 2010; 22:34-8.

  • Patel V, Kleinman A: Poverty and common mental disorders in developing countries. Bull World Health Organ 2003; 81:609-15

  • Dastgir, S, Kallankesh LR, Pourafkary N, Vahidi RG, Mahmoodzadeh F: Incidence, survival pattern and prognosis of self-immoration: a case study in Iran. J Public Health 2006; 14:2-6.


Abstract Views: 323

PDF Views: 0




  • Factors Related to Suicide Attempts by Poisoning in Iranian Children

Abstract Views: 323  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Tahereh Seghatoleslam
Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Esmaeil Farzaneh
Department of Medical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Omidvar Rezaee
Department of Neurosurgery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, Islamic Republic of
Fatemeh Sajadfar
Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran
Omid Mehrpour
Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran, Islamic Republic of

Abstract


Objective: Suicide is a major health problem especially in children. Even a large proportion of healthy children have thought about suicide attempt. Some factors are suggested as risk factors for suicide attempt among children such as prior suicide attempt as the most important risk factor. This study was designed to find out why children attempt suicide.

Methods: In a descriptive study we assessed all the 6-15 years old children with suicide attempt referred to Loghman Hakim Poison Centre. For each child a questionnaire consisted of demographic information, family information and Children's Suicide Questionnaire were completed by 2 psychiatrists and 2 psychologists.

Finding: 292 children were evaluated with the mean age of 12±1.46 years old ranging from 6 to 15 years old . 81.8% of subjects were female and 18.2% were male. It demonstrates that a higher proportion of the cases reported a history of mental illness in the family (41%). The survey of CSQ information indicated that 28% of the cases suffered from depression and 27.1% had an epileptic seizure. Family argument was present in 36.6% of the cases. 85.4% of the children attempted suicide by using pharmaceutical drugs and 55.5% of suicide attempts were at 6 p.m. to 12 p.m.

Conclusion: Mental or physical illness, living with a mentally ill family member, residing in an economically deprived neighborhoods and lack of access to proper psychiatric care in combination can induce a suicidal attempt so a multidisciplinary approach is necessary in evaluating a suicide attempt in a child.


Keywords


Children, Suicide, Iran. Children's Suicide Questionnaire. (CSQ)

References