Studied the sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of people resorting to deliberate self-harm (DSH), and discussed these features from a transcultural perspective. Data were prospectively collected from consecutive DSH cases at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department of a teaching hospital in Saudi Arabia for a 7-yr period, using detailed structured questionnaires and add-on information from subsequent encounters. Results show that DSH constituted 10.2% of A&E referrals to psychiatrists. 362 Ss were studied. The male:female ratio was 1:1.8. 74.3% of the Ss were below 30 yrs old. Nearly two-thirds of the Ss received a diagnosis of either personality or adjustment disorder. The most frequent method of DSH was drug overdose (71.5%), followed by self-cutting in 16.3%. Paracetamol was the most frequently ingested substance. Only 12.7% genuinely wished to die; most were resorting to the act for other personal or interpersonal ends. It is concluded that DSH is fairly frequent in this culture. Like elsewhere, it seems most cases are a form of nonverbal communication of anger, discontent, or agony in maladaptive personalities characterized by poor affect regulation, inadequate problem-solving skills, and unhealthy background in socio-environmental interactions.