Year: 1996 Source: British Journal of Psychiatry, v.168, no.1, (January 1996), p.43-48 SIEC No: 19970290

Eighty patients, who were admitted to hospital because of paracetamol overdoses were studied in order to determine their characteristics & factors which might have deterred them from taking the drug. Escape from a difficult situation, or state of mind, was the most frequent explanation for their overdose, followed by communication of distress. The authors felt awareness of the danger of an overdose, blister packs, and limiting the number of tablets would not have deterred the overdose patients.