Abstract

TRINCO, Maria Edite  and  SANTOS, José Carlos. Teenagers with self-injurious behaviour and no suicidal intention in the ER of a paediatric hospital in the centre region of the country. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2017, n.spe5, pp.63-68. ISSN 1647-2160.  https://doi.org/10.19131/rpesm.0169.

BACKGROUND: Youth is recognised as a transition period between child and adulthood, when several physical, psychic, social, family changes take place, which require of the teenager adjustment to this stage of his development. AIM: Characterising teenagers with self-injurious behaviour who were assisted in emergency in a paediatric hospital; classifying self-injurious behaviour; identifying the motives for self-injurious behavior. METHODS: qualitative, descriptive study, with research based on multiple case studies. RESULTS: One infers that girls with an average age of 15.5 years show self-injurious behaviour the most. Drug poisoning is at the top of the list, followed by selfmutilation. As for the motives, 55% of teenagers mention the psychological distress they find themselves in, 39.5% allude to family dysfunction, while school and peer relations are also given as reasons. CONCLUSIONS: The teenager with self-injurious behaviour and no suicidal intention is in psychological distress, and resorts to such behaviour to alleviate the suffering. This is more common among girls, with voluntary drug administration prevailing over the other methods.

Keywords : teenager; self-destructive behavior; emergency.

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