Examination of the Suicide Characteristics Based on the Scene Investigation in Capital Budapest (2009–2011)

Abstract

Medicolegal evaluation of postmortem findings at the death scene represents an important part of forensic medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and characteristics of suicide events. Data collection was performed from the police scene investigation reports in capital Budapest between 2009 and 2011. In this study, epidemiological parameters such as age, gender, time and place of death, postmortem changes, suicidal method, seasonal and daily distribution, natural diseases, earlier psychiatric treatment, socioeconomic risks, supposed cause of death, final notes, earlier suicide attempts, and suicide ideations were analyzed. There were 892 suicide cases (619 males, 273 females) detected in the investigated period. Hanging, overdose of prescription medications, jumping, use of firearms, drowning, and electrotrauma showed statistical differences among genders (p<0.05). The most common methods of suicide among men and women were hanging (57.4%) and overdose of prescription medications (33%), respectively. Death scene characteristics represent the important factors for forensic medicine.

Distinguishing between homicide and suicide knots and ligatures: A comparative analysis of case and survey data

“…Hanging was rarely observed in the homicides analyzed, whereas most suicide cases involved a neck ligature and hanging. This finding agrees with published studies and case reports [1,2,13–20,22–73]. According to a sample of published data summarized in Table 8, full suspension in hanging suicides appears to be more prevalent than partial suspension in eastern cultures [48–64].…”

“…A relatively consistent detail observed in this study was the tension of neck ligatures in the cases analyzed, which agrees with the forensic literature [22–70]. Knotted homicide strangulation ligatures were typically tighter than suicide ligatures used for hanging.…”

“…Suicide methods can differ from culture to culture depending on social acceptability, the availability of suitable materials, and the technical means to perform the act [25–47,70–73]. Some suicides are extremely unusual and ostensibly equivocal [1–6,13–20].…”

“…The differences in many specific knot and ligature characteristics are unknown. Further, the knot data reported in the literature are inconsistent, and numerous details have not been examined in case reports and international retrospective studies [1–6,13–20,25–74]. Published knot and ligature data acquired from homicides are not abundant.…”

Pattern of intentional drowning mortality: a total population retrospective cohort study in Australia, 2006–2014

“…As such this paper explores all intentional drowning deaths noting that many drowning-related intentional death studies only examine suicide [24–27]. Several studies [65–69] reported the complicated medico-legal investigation required to differentiate suspected suicide death and death by undetermined intent, which includes analysis of age, gender, socioeconomic status, history of mental disorders, history of suicide attempts and suicide ideations, circumstances at the scene of death, and toxicological and histopathological findings [70]. Therefore caution should be used when examining the cases coded as undetermined intent [71].…”