Abstract
BackgroundSuicide ranks among the top ten causes of death in all age groups all over the world. There are many methods for committing suicide including self-poisoning, firearm and hanging. The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of self-poisoning related suicidal deaths with special focus on forensic toxicology analysis results in Tehran, Iran from 2011 to 2015.MethodsAll suspicious cases with the the history of self-poisoning were investigated to define the cause and manner of death under the supervision of forensic medicine practitioners. Postmortem samples were analysed in forensic toxicology laboratory to confirm the presence of drugs in cadaver of suicidal cases. Drugs and poisons were analysed using thin layer chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, headspace gas chromatography and gas chromatography equipped with nitrogen phosphorus detector. Demographic data were collected from autopsy reports of all cases with confirmed self-poisoning suicidal cause of death.ResultsResults showed that 674 cases of self-poisoning deaths were investigated during a five-year study period, of which 68.55% were male. The most often used suicide method was self-poisoning in young population. Phosphine gas liberated from aluminum phosphide tablets was the most toxic substance detected in postmortem samples (619 cases) followed by opioids, methamphetamine, organophosphates, cyanide and strychnine.ConclusionIn conclusion self-poisoning suicidal death was predominant in young male population in Tehran, Iran. It seems that free access to suicide means such as drugs and poisons should be restricted by national and health authorities.Trial registrationNot applicable.
Highlights
Suicide ranks among the top ten causes of death in all age groups all over the world
Demographic characteristics In five-year study period 1667 suicide cases were investigated in Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran, of which, 674 cases (40.43%) showed positive results for drugs and poisons in postmortem samples obtained from cadavers as a result of self-poisoning
A separate analysis examining selfpoisoning showed that this suicide method was most common methods of suicide in younger people compared to older population (OR = 3.615, confidence interval (CI) = 2.21–5.02, p < 0.001)
Summary
Suicide ranks among the top ten causes of death in all age groups all over the world. There are many methods for committing suicide including self-poisoning, firearm and hanging. The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of self-poisoning related suicidal deaths with special focus on forensic toxicology analysis results in Tehran, Iran from 2011 to 2015. Suicide is a complex, multifaceted problem and is categorized as one of the major causes of unnatural deaths in all age groups worldwide. Almost 800,000 suicidal deaths occur annually all over the world. This is equal to 16 per 100,000 people [2]. Asian countries account for about 60% of global suicides [3]. There is a 60% increase in suicide rates globally through
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