FORENSIC Autopsy of People Having Committed Suicide in 2002 and in 2012: Comparison of Epidemiological and Sociological Data

Abstract

This work compares epidemiological and sociological data on persons having committed suicide in 2002 and in 2012 through a retrospective study of every suicide case having led to an autopsy at the Institute for Forensic Medicine of Lyon in 2002 and in 2012. The study included sociodemographic data, medical data, and toxicological data. A total of 486 cases were included (242 cases in 2002 and 244 cases in 2012). People committing suicide were on average older in 2012 than in 2002 with a larger proportion of over 55. There was also an increase in the proportion of psychiatric antecedents (p < 0.001). Whatever the date of death by suicide, the most affected age range is the 45-54. The results highlight the necessity of bolstering the prevention plans, in particular for people over 45.

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.…”

“…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.…”

“…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].…”

Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries

“…Franchi et al [28] conducted a comparative study between suicide autopsy cases in 2002 and 2012 in France. Of the486 suicide autopsies, 19.5% were related to poisoning; most suicides were by hanging (30.86%).…”