{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T03:52:40Z","timestamp":1788407560158,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,27]],"date-time":"2023-04-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1682553600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Rates of self-poisoning are increasing substantially all around the world, with self-poisoning being the most common form of self-harm leading to hospitalization in children and adolescents. This study aims to investigate the trends in the number of deliberate self-poisoning admissions in Romanian adolescents during the period of 2016\u20132022, as well as the most frequently used substances and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions due to self-poisoning and substance use in relation to these episodes. The sample included 178 patients admitted to the Clinic of Pediatric Psychiatry in Cluj-Napoca from 2016 to 2022 due to an episode of self-poisoning. Data were collected on patients\u2019 sociodemographic characteristics, psychosocial characteristics, and medical histories. We report a slight overall increase in the self-poisoning admission rate during the studied period. There was a decrease during the initial period of the pandemic, with significantly increasing rates in the second year of the pandemic. The mean prevalence rate of hospital admissions due to self-poisoning episodes during the study period was 3.14% (95% CI 2.72, 3.63). Adolescent girls were identified as the most vulnerable group, with the female-to-male ratio increasing dramatically. In terms of substance use, benzodiazepines; over-the-counter analgesics, including paracetamol; and antidepressants were the most frequently used substances. We emphasize the importance of careful consideration in prescribing psychotropic drugs, as well as the need for regulation of over-the-counter drug dispensation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children10050790","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,28]],"date-time":"2023-04-28T02:27:56Z","timestamp":1682648876000},"page":"790","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Trends and Prevalence of Hospital Admissions Related to Deliberate Self-Poisoning and Used Substances in Romanian Adolescents between 2016 and 2022"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5682-1850","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Predescu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Pediatric Psychiatry, \u201cIuliuHatieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400489 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-9812-3273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iulia","family":"Calugar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinic of Pediatric Psychiatry and Addiction, Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children, 400489 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristian","family":"Bibu-Monus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1st Surgical Clinic, Emergency Clinical County Hospital Cluj, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5017-6387","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roxana","family":"Sipos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry and Pediatric Psychiatry, \u201cIuliuHatieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400489 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2008","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2018-026001","article-title":"Trends in Self-Poisoning and Psychotropic Drug Use in People Aged 5\u201319 Years: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study in Australia","volume":"9","author":"Cairns","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"711","DOI":"10.1080\/15563650.2019.1687900","article-title":"Trends of Intentional Drug Overdose among Youth: A Population-Based Cohort Study","volume":"58","author":"Gilley","year":"2020","journal-title":"Clin. 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