Self-harm and suicidal behaviour
Psychosocial assessment after self-harm without relying on risk scores, medical care of the common overdoses including paracetamol, capacity and duty of care when patients refuse treatment, and aftercare.
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Self-harm is any intentional self-poisoning or self-injury, whatever the intent. It is the strongest predictor of later suicide.
- More than 3,000 Australians die by suicide each year, three-quarters of them male. Hanging is the most common method, then poisoning.
- Don't use risk scores to decide who gets care. Every patient gets a psychosocial assessment, a safety plan and follow-up.
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Sources
- Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence (NG225)National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2022
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical practice guidelines for deliberate self-harm (Carter G et al. 2016), now archived by RANZCPAU/NZRANZCP (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 2016;50:939-1000), 2016
- National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2025-2035AU/NZAustralian Government, National Suicide Prevention Office, 2025
- Chiew AL et al. Updated guidelines for the management of paracetamol poisoning in Australia and New Zealand. Med J Aust 2020;212:175-83AU/NZMedical Journal of Australia, 2020
- Comply with paracetamol pack size changes (effective 1 February 2025)AU/NZTherapeutic Goods Administration, 5 December 2024
- Causes of Death, Australia (intentional self-harm)AU/NZAustralian Bureau of Statistics, 2025
- Stanley B, Brown GK. Safety Planning Intervention: a brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk. Cogn Behav Pract 2012;19:256-64Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 2012
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy