A profile of poisoning cases attending to Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry

Introduction: Poisons are regarded as the silent weapons which can be easily used without arousing suspicion and without violence. Over the counter availability of poisons, knowledge regarding the fatality of poisons among the population, stress of the environment, and the quality of emergency medical care are the variety of factors which lead to poisoning in a community.Aim: The ami is to study the distribution of the sociodemographic factors of agricultural poisoning cases admitted to Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry.Methodology: A prospective study conducted at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry, from July 2013 to July 2016 and included 122 cases of poisoning.Results: Of the 122 cases of poisoning cases, 82.78% were due to acts of suicidal poisoning, which constitute the major problem in poisoning. Organophosphate pesticide contributed for 68.85% cases of poisoning. Financial burden is responsible for suicidal poisoning in 73% of cases. Psychiatric illness contributed for poisoning in 11.5% of cases