Evaluating the relationship between Acute Poisoning and Age, Gender and Type of Drug in Adolescents Admitted to Poisoning Department of Baharlu Hospital, Tehran, from 2012 to 2014

Acute poisoning is a major problem in the field of mental health throughout the world. This study was carried out to identify a pattern for acute poisoning in adolescents (13 to 18 years old) admitted to Baharlu hospital from 2012 to 2014. Demographic data of poisoning of 282 adolescents were recorded. SPSS software was used to analyze the data. Questionnaires were completed through direct access to these patient's hospital records.
Findings: The results revealed narcotics, sedatives and anti depressant as the most common causes of poisoning in these subjects. Less than 2 percent of cases were fatal, mostly due to aluminium phosphide (aka rice pill). The rate of suicide was higher among girls than boys. There was a significant relationship between the date (year) of admission and the type of drugs used, with an increase in use of narcotics and sedatives in 2014 compared to 2012. There existed a significant relationship between the age of subjects and type of drugs used, with an increased use of antidepressants and sedatives in higher ages. Eighty six point eight percent of cases of drug poisoning were due to suicide attempts. Since the type of drugs used and criticality of conditions of drug poisoned adolescents are multi factorial phenomena, it is advisable to take various comprehensive preventive measures to decrease the rate of acute drug poisoning in adolescents considering all these factors.