Budapest Registry of Self-poisoned Patients.

The majority of persons attempting suicide are young (peak in the 17-19 age group), female (68%), otherwise healthy, and use chemicals for this purpose (self-poisoning); 98% of these persons survive. Thus, survivors of self-poisoning present a unique model for the study of somatic and germinal mutagenic effects of large doses of chemicals in human beings. This recognition prompted the establishment of the Budapest Registry of Self-poisoned Patients in 1990. The recorded 11,847 cases used 20,324 drugs in 1990-1992. Benzodiazepines were the most popular drugs for self-poisoning. International collaboration by the use of molecular epidemiological methods seems to be promising in the self-poisoning model.