Self-poisonings with drugs by adolescents in the Lund catchment area

Our objective was to investigate which drugs young people who attempt suicide use in the Lund catchment area-eight municipalities in Skane, southern Sweden. All patients aged up to 18 years admitted to Lund University Hospital after deliberate or probably deliberate self-poisoning from 1 January 1991 until 31 December 1995 were included. Forty-nine (58%) had used a single drug; 20 (24%) had used 3 or more drugs. Fifty-two (61%) used analgesics-paracetamol was used by 38 (45%) and propoxyphene by 17 (20%). Thirty-one (36%) had ingested psychotropics-13 used benzodiazepines, 10 antidepressants, and 8 antipsychotics. Eleven (15%) had used drugs in combination with alcohol. We conclude that it is important to follow changes in self-poisoning patterns, to monitor the effects of preventive work and discover new trends in drug use.