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Survivors of self‐inflicted firearm injury
Author(s) -
Moore Greg M,
Plew Jeff D,
Bray Karina M,
Snars Jeff N
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1994.tb138267.x
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , psychiatry , poison control , injury prevention , suicide prevention , medicine , psychopathology , occupational safety and health , accidental , depression (economics) , medical emergency , acoustics , economics , biology , paleontology , physics , macroeconomics , pathology
Objective To examine the clinical profile and, in particular, the psycho‐pathology of 33 survivors of self‐inflicted firearm injury. Design An eight‐year retrospective case history analysis. Information was obtained from databases in the Psychiatry, Trauma and Medical Records departments of Westmead Hospital. Results In the sample most survivors of self‐shooting were young men who did not suffer from major depression or psychosis. Most shootings occurred in the context of interpersonal disputes with sexual partners or family members. Conclusions Most patients who survive self‐inflicted firearm injuries have shot themselves impulsively in a crisis, are not psychotic, and have ready access to firearms. Psychiatric care is usually given in the trauma ward. Close cooperation is required between psychiatric and surgical teams in management. Recommendations to assist in the more accurate assessment of patients with self‐inflicted firearm injury include: careful scrutiny of alleged accidental shootings; the inclusion of police information in the assessment; routine drug screening and determination of blood alcohol level; repeated interviews and corroboration of patient claims by family and friends; and psychiatric review of all patients with self‐inflicted injury.