In a 6-month prospective study involving three main general hospitals in Ibadan, Nigeria, 39 cases of deliberate self-harm were reported out a total of 23,859 subjects. 76.9% of these people were under the age of 30. The male to female ratio was 1.4 to 1, 51.3% were students & 25.6% were manual workers. The methods were mainly ingestion of chemicals & psychotropic drugs. Disturbed interpersonal relationships, especially with parents, are identified as a motivating factor for the self-harming behavior. (21 refs) (SC)