Let's say somebody wanted to slit their wrists but then decided not to go ahead and then somebody surprises them by yelling out their name from outside the room and then they accidentally slit their wrist anyway. How long do they have to spend recuperating in the hospital? Since the cut wasn't an intentional one but was accidental and could still cause someone to need going to the hospital without being too deep a cut.
How is this person, who was sitting or standing there with a razor blade poised over their wrist, going to convince anyone that the slit was an accident? The physical recovery time will depend on whether or not they managed to sever a major artery. If not, the cut can be bandaged up and probably no hospitalization would be needed at all. For the physical wound. The psychological aspect will depend on the answer to my opening question.
It also depends on whether the person knew what he was doing. Most people who try to cut their wrists do it wrong, and make a straight cut parallel to their wrists. This won't cut deep enough to sever the artery, although it might cut tendons. If he was going to cut himself like this, the accidental cut is probably the same. Even if the tendon is cut, it's unlikely much hospital stay will be needed. They'll operate to repair the tendon and then the patient can usually go straight home. The rehab is done on an outpatient basis.
I just want to point out, as has already been suggested, that in the scenario you describe, it's more likely the individual will spend more time in a psychiatric ward undergoing a 24 hour mental evaluation. The rules on this and what can be done against the will of the patient varies depending on the country and jurisdiction.
No one will believe a slit wrist is an accident. Someone found with a wound like this will spend time in a mental hospital.
my sister attempted suicide by cutting (among other things). The cuts werent deep enough to be life threatening. and werent bad enough to be noticed (she hid her attempts well). mom saw them while she was helping my sister dress for a formal event. She was in a mental hospital on suicide watch for an entire week. If someone had cut their wrists (deep or not), if the INTENT was there, then they can hold them for that long. doesnt matter if someone interrupted them.
About a week. I’ve been in an out of hospitals for my mental health and seen plenty of suicide attempts. It’s a week, however, you can sign a leaving against medical advice form and they’ll release you within a day or so. Most mental health facilities aren’t well set up for suicide, they’ll be placed in with everyone else. 95% of people in and out are drug addicts. Some came to get clean, some accidentally ODd, so very similar to your case. An accidental OD is treated the same as an intentional one. Suicides are maybe 4% and those of us who’s you traditionally call mentally ill the very smallest 1% but also tend to stay the longest because they tend to have health insurance.
The time spent in the hospital generally depends on the degree of injury. So many factors to be considered. -Sometimes doctors are silly and discharge too early in a rush on a busy day in the ER. -If a person was found to have the desire to slit their wrists, they may end up staying longer if doctors/nurses decide inpatient psychiatric care is needed. -If it was a slice that didn't go below the first or second layer of skin, it could be a few hours (or less than a full day) - considering the wait time to get in to a room, plus the care, and the discharge. -If an artery or vein was damaged, this could be a more lengthy stay as observation might be needed to be sure everything is healing okay and the patient is stabilized. -If the damage is incredibly slight, it's possible a hospital stay would not be needed and pressure to stop the bleeding and a band-aid would do it well. I hope this helps you consider which direction you'd like to go in your writing.
