suicide and deliberate self-harm
Last reviewed 06/2021
Drug overdoses or other methods of self-harm are a major cause of adult hospital admission.
The minority of these patients die while most recover.
The deaths are termed suicides.
The action of those who survive has been termed:
- parasuicide
- attempted suicide
- deliberate self-harm (DSH)
The term deliberate self-harm is used here because it makes fewer assumptions about the patient's intentions.
It is important that doctors in hospital and the community should have the knowledge and skills to identify the small proportion of DSH patients who will go on to commit suicide.