A retrospective review of 98 patients through medical & billing records generated during 2004 was done to evaluate the cost of treatment of patients presenting with deliberate self-harm to a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The mean cost for admitted & discharged patients was US$255 and US$55.60, respectively. This cost is extremely high in a country such as Pakistan where patients have to bear the costs of hospital treatment. The most important determinant of cost was length of hospital stay, averaging 2.91 days. (5 refs.)