Commonest Mode of Suicide in Jorhat District—One Year Retrospective Study

Abstract

One who succeeds in completing the act of suicide, has nothing to bother about and it is only the survivors who are the bear the consequence. Society must identify the potential cases of suicide prone and help and treat them in time irrespective of the method they apply to commit it. The modes of suicidal deaths in an area reflect the socio-economic status and mental health status of the population in that region. Suicide committed by an individual will be a burden for the family members as a bread earner of the family, or a caretaker of the family or a loving child of the family may suddenly demise causing deep agonizing pain to the rest of the family members who are alive. The present study is based on retrospective analysis of 94 (17.93%) hanging deaths out of 524 autopsies in one year period (1^st January 2014 to 31^st December 2014) done in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Jorhat Medical College and Hospital, Jorhat, Assam. The most common method adopted for suicide was by hanging followed by poisoning, drowning and burns The other modes of suicide are excluded from this study as most of these deaths are under investigation. In the study males (79.78%) outnumbered the females (20.21%). Suicidal deaths are preventable by the combined effort of the State and the population at large by creating general awareness, stringent laws, early detection and treatment of mental illness and most importantly changing the mindset of the people.

Keywords: Suicide, retrospective, autopsy, mental health, hanging