Self-Inflicted Burns: an Eight Year Retrospective Study in Finland

This study investigated differences in characteristics of burn patients who had attempted suicide compared with other burn patients admitted to the Helsinki Burn Centre during 1989-1997. Of the total 811 patients, 46 had attempted suicide. The median total body surface area of suicide attempters was markedly higher than in the other patients. Flame was a more common cause of burns among suicide attempers who were also more often unemployed or on disability pension. Although the proportion of patients with self-inflicted burns was not high, the markedly higher severity of their burns makes them an important clinical subgroup for further study. (30 refs.)