BACKGROUND:

Deliberate self-harm and the consumption of psy- choactive substances are important public health problems among adolescents.

AIM:

To determine the association of deliberate self-harm with the consumption of psychoactive substances, in school adolescents in Colombia.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

A survey about deliberate self harm and psychoactive substance use during the last 12 months was answered by 80 018 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years.

RESULTS:

The prevalence of deliberate self-harm in the last 12 months was 14.1%. The use of psychoactive drugs was associated with deliberate self-harm. The greatest association was observed with the use of non-prescription tranquilizers (Odds ratio 4.05 95% confidence intervals 3.42-4.81).

CONCLUSIONS:

We observed an association between deliberate self-harm and the consumption of different psychoactive substances.