The Psychological Autopsy In Equivocal Deaths

Psychological autopsy studies of suicide: a systematic review

“…The search strategy identified 154 papers (Robins et al 1959 ;Dorpat & Ripley, 1960 ;Litman et al 1963 ;Seager & Flood, 1965 ;Faberow & Mc-Evoy, 1966 ;Rudestam, 1971Rudestam, , 1979Shaffer et al 1972 ;Barraclough et al 1974 ;Neill et al 1974;Barraclough & Pallis, 1975;Heiman, 1975;Sanborn & Sanborn, 1976;Diller, 1979;Murphy et al 1979Murphy et al , 1992Chynoweth et al 1980 ;Weston, 1980 ;Heilig et al 1982;Roy, 1982Roy, , 1983Roy, , 1992Litman, 1984Litman, , 1989Litman, , 1996Shafii et al 1985Shafii et al , 1988Allebeck et al 1986 ;Fowler et al 1986;Rich et al 1986Rich et al , 1988Rich et al , 1990Berglund et al 1987 ;Biro, 1987 ;Brent et al 1987Brent et al , 1988Brent et al a, b, 1994Brent et al , 1999Arato et al 1988;Shaffer, 1988 ;Andersson-Segesten, 1989;Brent, 1989…”

“…Thirty-seven reports were excluded as the study was either a single case report, advanced new models of suicide or presented no new data (Neill et al 1974 ;Sanborn & Sanborn, 1976;Diller, 1979 ;Rudestam, 1979 ;Weston, 1980; Heilig et al 1982;Litman, 1984 ;Andersson-Segesten, 1989;Beskow et al 1990 ;Garza-Leal & Landron, 1991 ;Little, 1992;Murphy et al 1992 ;Runseon & Rich, 1992 ;Brent et al 1993bBrent et al , 1999Clark, 1993;Mendelson & Rich, 1993;Hendin, 1994;Shneidman, 1994 ;Akuskai, 1995;Conwell et al 1995 ;Duberstein, 1995 ;Seguin et al 1995 ;Shaffer et al 1995 ;He & Lester, 1997;Malmberg et al 1997 ;Gould et al 1998;Heilaë t al. 1998Heilaë t al.…”

Conducting the Psychological Autopsy in Correctional Settings

“…Over the past several years, the role of the psychological autopsy expanded and found increased relevance as an investigative technique (Rothberg, 1998;Simon, 1998). In addition to increasing the knowledge of the nature of suicide from a mental health perspective (Beskow et al, 1990), the psychological autopsy played an important role in civil and criminal litigation surrounding suicides (Annon, 1995;Jacobs & Klein-Benheim, 1995), homicide investigations (Danto, 1979), as a tool for research (Sorri, Henriksson, & Loennqvist, 1996;Wolford, Reihman, & Tars, 1991), community health assessments (Diller, 1979), military policy (Rothberg, 1998), and as a component of clinical risk management programs (Spellman & Heyne, 1989).…”

Improving the Validity and Reliability of Medical‐Legal Certifications of Suicide

“…Research has demonstrated that psychological information can significantly decrease certification variability while increasing the medical‐legal official's certainty of certification in cases of equivocal suicide (Jobes, Berman, & Josselson, 1986). While the use of psychological autopsies (Diller, 1979; Litman et al ., 1963) may not have a profound impact on national suicide statistics, the technique does contribute to more comprehensive and scientific certifications. In addition, the use of psychological autopsies can help to clarify legal issues and insurance claims, saving costly court fees and valuable time for the medical‐legal official (Jobes & Berman, 1984).…”