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Sammanfattning

Five outpatient clinics were engaged in screening referred patients 13-17 year of age, for deliberate self-harm, to a randomized controlled treatment study. Of 1999 patients referred, 25 were finally included. We wanted to study the screening process. The screening included 987 (47 %). Self-harm was confirmed by 241 (24.4 %). Of these inclu- sion criteria seemed fulfilled and inclusion accepted for 86. Of these 36 were thoroughly evaluated. Compared to the 241, the 25 had self- harmed more often and were more often referred for self-harm and for more than one reason. In spite of close monitoring from the project, the screening was far from complete. The clinics included from 34 % to 77 % of referrals, but the percentage of referred patients reporting self- harm differed insignificantly between clinics. Clinical judgment was probably used with some success, but with more than 24 % confirming self-harm, every patient above 12 year should be asked about self-harm. Conclusion: Implementation of new routines is not easy. Those who were included did not differ much from those confirming self-harm. The inclu- ded patients seemed to have a high level of dis- tress, as they had self-harmed more often, more reasons for referral were given, and they were more often referred for internalizing problems.

MeSH