Is there a difference between hospital verified and self-reported self-harm? Agreement and implications for repetition

Repeated intentional self-harm (SH) is associated with economic costs and increased risk of suicide. Estimates of repetition vary and are limited to short follow-ups. In addition some sources use hospital records and others self-reported self-harm. Our aim was to examine the relationship between self-reported self-harm (SRSH) and hospital verified self-harm (HVSH) and later repetition of SH (predictive validity). We also aimed to examine whether rates of SH repetition differ between first time presenters and non-first time presenters using either definition of self-harm.

Source: General Hospital Psychiatry - August 12, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Alex J. Mitchell, Shahana Hussain, James Lever, Chandhini Rajan, Andrew Jones, Natasha Malcolm, Tim Coats Source Type: research