Which of the following is suggestive that a client with a history of suicide attempts has ingested poison?

• A. Eye irritation.
• B. Dark mucus membranes.
• C. Burns around the mouth.
• D. Puncture marks in the antecubital space.

Answer: (C)

When assessing potential poisoning in someone with a suicide history, signs that directly show contact with a swallowed substance are most informative. Burns around the mouth indicate that a caustic chemical was ingested and directly contacted the lips and oral mucosa, which strongly points to ingestion as the route of poison.

Eye irritation can result from exposure to fumes or splashes but isn’t as specific to swallowing a toxin. Dark mucus membranes suggest broader systemic issues like poor oxygenation or perfusion, not the act of ingestion itself. Puncture marks in the antecubital space point to injected substance use rather than ingestion. Therefore, the presence of burns around the mouth is the clearest indicator that poisoning occurred via ingestion.