[Psychiatric disorders, suicide attempts, lesions and poisoning among adolescents treated in an emergency room, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 1988-1993]

An epidemiological study was conducted to determine the occurrence of psychiatric and related disorders, according to the International Classification of Diseases, among adolescents treated in an emergency room of a teaching hospital in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil from 1988 to 1993. Adolescents studied represented 23% of the cases treated during this period. Neurotic Disorders (300), Suicide and self-inflicted Lesions (E950-E959), and Schizophrenic Psychoses (295) predominated among females. Signs and Symptoms related to alcohol and drugs (291, 292, 303, 304, 305), Schizophrenic Psychoses (295) and Neurotic Disorders (300) predominated among males. Adolescents studied were predominantly in the 20 to 24 and 15 to 19 year range, in this order.