Self-injurious behaviour in forensic mental health care: a study into the prevalence and characteristics of incidents of self-injury

Self-injurious behaviour in forensic mental health care: a study into the prevalence and characteristics of incidents of self-injury Vivienne de Vogel, Nienke Verstegen The Journal of Forensic Practice, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- Incidents of self-injury by forensic psychiatric patients often have a deleterious impact on all those involved. Moreover, self-injurious behaviour is an important predictor for violence towards others during treatment. The aim of this study is to analyse methods and severity of incidents of self-injury of patients admitted to forensic psychiatry, as well as the diagnoses of self-injuring patients. All incidents of self-injury during treatment in a forensic psychiatric centre recorded between 2008 and 2019 were analysed and the severity was coded with the modified observed aggression scale+ (MOAS+). In this period, 299 incidents of self-injury were recorded, displayed by 106 patients. Most of these incidents (87.6%) were classified as non-suicidal. Methods most often used were skin cutting with glass, broken plates, a razor or knife and swallowing dangerous objects or liquids. Ten patients died by suicide, almost all by suffocation with a rope or belt. The majority of the incidents was coded as severe or extreme with the MOAS+. Female patients were overrepresented and they caused on average three times more incidents than male patients. More attention is warranted for self-injurious behavi...
Source: Journal of Forensic Practice - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Source Type: research