Attitudes Towards Self-Poisoning Among British and Israel Doctors and Nurses in a Psychiatric Hospital

Staff in 2 British & Israeli psychiatric hospitals were interviewed in a replication study on attitudes toward self-poisoning patients. Motives ascribed to specific hypothetical cases & degrees of readiness to help & sympathize were similar in both samples. Motives of escape & communication were most frequent. In both groups, nurses were less accepting, sympathetic & ready to help than doctors. Findings are discussed in relation to those obtained in the original study. (11 refs.)