The British Journal of Psychiatry 150: 609-614 (1987)
© 1987 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Hostility and deliberate self-poisoning: the role of depression
R Farmer
St Mary's Hospital, London.
The evidence for an association between hostility and deliberate self-
poisoning is reviewed. Although the concept of hostility is poorly defined
and different measuring instruments may not measure the same entity,
self-poisoning subjects as a group appear to have very high levels of
hostility. However, depression is also associated with hostility and when
studies have taken into account the psychiatric diagnosis of overdose
patients it is outwardly-directed hostility which distinguishes these
individuals from other psychiatric patients or normals. A model is proposed
to show the inter-relationships of hostility, depression and
self-poisoning.