Survivors of self-inflicted stab wounds.

Objective: There are a number of studies describing the survivors of self-incised wounds, but few studies have described the psychiatric condition of survivors of self-inflicted stab wounds. We aimed to describe the characteristics of a complete series of patients treated for self-inflicted stab wounds in a major hospital, and to compare the characteristics of patients with psychotic illness to those with other conditions.Methods: A review of the files of all patients who had a psychiatric evaluation after presenting for treatment following deliberate self-harm. Stab wounds were defined as wounds made by a sharp instrument in which the width was less than the depth.Results: There were 41 survivors of self-inflicted stab wounds among 2119 patients assessed after deliberate self-harm. Of these, 15 were diagnosed with a psychotic illness and the remainder had other conditions, including depression, personality disorder and substance use disorder. There was little difference in the demographic features, clini...