‘Only 18% of self-harm patients admitted to hospital’

LESS than one-in-five patients who deliberately harm themselves are admitted to a general hospital, according to the Irish Association of Suicidology (IAS).

Also there is an urgent need for standardised care for these patients, according to a suicide expert.

IAS president, Fine Gael TD Dan Neville, said just 18% of self-harm patients treated in the Health Service Executive (HSE) Eastern Region are admitted to a general hospital ward.

In other HSE areas, the number of self-harm patients admitted to a general hospital ranges between 33% and 14%. Direct psychiatric admissions are most common in the Eastern region.

Mr Neville said the discrepancy in the number of admissions between the HSE regions showed an “urgent need for standardised procedures in the assessment and aftercare of deliberate self-harm patients”.

“Procedures must be put in place by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney in conjunction with the HSE to ensure that all deliberate self-harm patients receive a comprehensive assessment of their needs and appropriate treatment and referral.”

Mr Neville said this was particularly important at a time when the conservative estimate of self-harm was 60,000 people each year.

The National Parasuicide Registry of Ireland Annual Report 2004 found that more than 11,000 people presented at A&E departments during that year following parasuicide (self-harm) attempts.

Mr Neville said the figures do not include those who were treated at family doctor level or those who did not seek help.

In 42% of cases of self-harm registered in 2004 there was evidence of alcohol consumption. Of those treated in A&E, one-third who had attempted hanging were not admitted to hospital after receiving emergency treatment.

Neither were the 20% who attempted drowning. Almost half (45%) of the patients who used cutting as the main method of self-harm were discharged after receiving treatment at A&E.

Mr Neville warned that those who self-harm are at a high risk of attempting suicide and require urgent crisis intervention.

“This is not being provided in many cases as instanced above. Aftercare and psychiatric examination is recommended in all cases of self harm. Yet the aftercare received by deliberate self-harm patients differs depending on the HSE area/region in which they were treated. We need standard procedures.”

Mr Neville said there was an urgent need for research into the true extent of parasuicide, to include those attending GPs.