Fatal deliberate self harm in Manipal, India : autopsy study
Date
2014
Authors
Shetty, C. K.
Palimar, V.
Bhagavath, P.
Kumar, G. P.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract
Fatal deliberate self harm (FDSH) or Suicide is a devastating act causing a great deal of suffering to survivors, relatives, friends and other people near to the victim of suicide. It is also a public health problem causing loss of life years, particularly in young people. In most countries suicide is condemned for cultural or religious reasons and surrounded by taboo (WHO 2002).
The present study sample consisted of 656 cases of fatal deliberate self harm (FDSH) out of the 3571 total autopsy cases. The occurrence of FDSH was 18.37% of all the medico-legal autopsies conducted (3571 cases) during the study period (1992-2012). The present study shows that the people of all age groups were involved. The highest incidence was amongst the 21–30 years (35.06 %) followed by 31–40 years (19.35 %). Male victims predominated .Of these 656 cases, 436 (66.5%) were males and 220 (33.5%) were females. Present study predicts marriage as being one of the important risk factors for suicide. 417 cases out of 656 cases (57.3 %) were married. Most of the victims belonged to the Hindu religion (86.4 %) followed by Christians (8.4 %) and Muslims (3.7 %). When we look at the presence of any past illness, 174 cases (26.5%) were having some form of chronic physical and mental disorders at the time of committing suicides. Although seasonal variation is not much, however the present study reveals highest number of cases in summer season (36.1%), followed by the winter, the rainy season. Despair with life due to financial restraints and family and marital disharmony constituting 79 % of the total cases was the most common motive for FDSH. 74.4 % of the total victims in the present study used chemicals for terminating their lives and only 26.8 % of the study group used physical methods for committing FDSH. Amongst those who opted for physical methods, hanging was the most common (15.6 %) followed by burns (7.1 %). Among the poisoning cases, organ phosphorus poisoning (51 %) was the most commonly used method for suicide
Description
Keywords
Suicide , Deliberate self harm , Risk factors
Citation
Sri Lanka Journal of Forensic Medicine, Science & Law May 2014, Vol.5, No.1, P. 17 - 27