Homicide-suicide Research Articles

Homicide-Suicides in Pakistan: An analysis of Newspaper reports of two years

Background and Objective: Our understanding of homicide-suicide (H-S), a rare yet tragic event, is sparse. While the phenomenon has been studied in the West for many years, only limited literature is available from Asia and none to our knowledge from Pakistan. There is evidence of complexity of the interaction between cultural, societal, and psychological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon; therefore, research findings from the Western countries cannot be directly applied in non-Western societies. Our objective was to study homicide-suicides in Pakistan, describe the characteristics of offenders and victims, determine the types of H-S, and examine possible motives and any events prior to the offense. Methods: In the absence of any official data on homicide-suicides, we used newspaper surveillance approach of four most widely circulated Pakistani newspapers (one Urdu and three English Daily) for two years (1st January 2019 to 31st December 2020). Each case was categorized using the modified Marzuk et al., Tardiff, and Hirsch’s classification of homicide-suicides. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data that was then compared with published literature. Results: There were 114 H-S incidents with 198 victims of homicide during the study period, reported in the newspapers. Familial H-S particularly filicide-suicide were predominant, followed by spousal/ consortial H-S. Forty-one (36%) H-S involved multiple victims. The perpetrators across all categories of H-S were predominantly male (67%); the victims were predominantly women and children. Firearms were used in most incidents. The primary motive for the majority of H-S cases was familial, financial, and social stressors. Conclusions: The study highlights several unique patterns (predominance of familicide, multiple victims including high proportion of children) and a series of vulnerabilities (incidents related mostly to familial/ financial and social stressors) that overlap each other and ultimately lead to this tragic end. There is need to increase our understanding and develop effective evidence-based prevention strategies for H-S in Pakistan. It is also very important to have a national surveillance network and national violent death reporting system in the country for studying H-S cases, and for evaluating the impact of prevention programs. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.9812 How to cite this: Imran N, Ayub M, Haider II, Rafiq B, Tahir SM, Naveed S, et al. Homicide-Suicides in Pakistan: An analysis of Newspaper reports of two years. Pak J Med Sci. 2024;40(10):2196-2201. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.40.10.9812 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN HOMICIDE–SUICIDE EVENTS: A CALL FOR ADHERENCE TO THE CDC DEFINITION FOR “MERCY KILLING”

Abstract Intimate partner homicide suicide (IPHS) events are overwhelmingly male perpetrated (90%). Gender-based violence (GBV) prevention requires ‘best practices’ for media reporting. Consider the following: In a patient room of a busy hospital, an overwhelmed man (71) suicided after firing shots at his wife (70) who had survived a stroke. The gunfire caused trauma among witnesses. Media reports used the term ‘mercy killing,’ but critical ingredients were missing. The CDC’s NVDRS (2022) defines ‘mercy killing’ as “…Killed, at the victim’s request…to end…pain or distress…Do not assume…murder/suicide by a sick, elderly couple is mercy killing.” Evidence of a clear wish to die, is needed “due to a hopeless or terminal condition.” Our IPHS, news surveillance study was updated 1999-2022 and used content analysis to identify GBV rationalizations, based upon 2219 events and over 5000 fatalities across young (n=987), middle aged (n=699), and older 60+ (n=533) categories. Only the 60+ group had claims of ‘mercy killing,’ mostly without adherence to the CDC definition. Older men who are suicidal may also harm an unsuspecting partner. For women, end of life decision-making is lost in ‘safe spaces,’ like homes or care facilities, which is made worse by rationalized excuses. Women are rarely suicidal and use passive methods (i.e., drugs). When women care for an ailing partner, they don’t commit IPHS. Older men are more suicidal and utilize more lethal firearm methods (similar to the IPHS patterns). Media best practices involve valuing persons with disabilities, publicizing services and recognizing violence is a public health problem.

A classification of combined homicide-suicide: An update-Part II: Intrafamilial homicide-suicide.

This Part II of the three-part presentation of the updated classification of combined-homicide published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences addresses intrafamilial homicide-suicides (H-Ss). Intrafamilial H-Ss in this classification includes all close relationships including dating and intimate partners, not just traditional family relationships, in contrast to extrafamilial H-Ss where the victim(s) of homicide are either strangers or in a more formal but nonintimate relationship with the actor. Intrafamilial H-Ss are further divided and classified as intimate partner, filicide, familicide, parricide, and siblicide H-Ss, respectively, and are typically so grouped in the literature.

Intimate partner violence and suicide mortality: a cross-sectional study using machine learning and natural language processing of suicide data from 43 states

IntroductionIntimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with suicidal ideation, yet it remains unclear how often IPV precipitates suicide mortality. To overcome limitations with national data, we applied novel methods to:...

Homicide-Suicide in Italy Between 2009-2018: An Epidemiological Update and Time Series Analysis

Homicide–suicide is an event in which an individual murders one or more persons and then takes his/her own life. The present study aimed to assess the incidence of homicide-suicide in Italy over a 10-year period (between 2009 and 2018) and to compare its findings with national and international data. Furthermore, a time series analysis was carried out employing an autoregressive integrated moving average model. Data regarding homicide-suicide cases were collected from press agencies and four major Italian newspapers. In the considered time frame, 368 cases of homicide–suicide were identified, with a total of 808 deaths. Findings aligned with international data, highlighting that the murderer is typically an older male who, for romantic jealousy, kills with a firearm his current or former female partner. The average rate of homicide–suicides was 0.06%, showing an increase compared to the previous decades. In addition, the forecasting model predicted a further increase in cases in the coming years, highlighting the need to systematically gather data on this phenomenon.

In the Name of Love or Hatred: a Systematic Comparison Between Filicide-Suicide and Mariticide/Uxoricide-Suicide in Hong Kong.

While much of work on homicide-suicide (HS) arises out of the USA and the UK, there is a paucity of research on HS outside of the Anglo-American sphere. This paper investigates HS in Hong Kong (HK), comparing the subtypes of filicide-suicide (FS) and mariticide/uxoricide-suicide (MUS) in that context as a means of testing the generalizability of past studies. Data from the HK Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the HK Police Force reports retrieved 156 cases from 2000 to 2019. In that timeframe, HS resulted in 261 deaths, with MUS being the most prevalent type of HS. Male offenders and female victims are more commonly seen. Offenders are generally older than their victims, and over half of offenders are married. FS and MUS display distinct characteristics in terms of offender and victim demographics, relationship dynamics, motives, and mode of killing. Depressed mothers tend to victimize their sons in FS as a means of saving their sons from a perceived miserable future, whereas male offenders aggress upon their female partners in MUS to alleviate their own frustrations, subsequently dying by suicide out of sorrow or a fear of consequence. MUS offenders are more hostile towards their victims and tend to kill with aggressive means, whereas FS offenders are more likely to kill with altruistic motives and with minimal force. These results match patterns of MUS and FS in the Anglo-American sphere, but with some important differences in terms of the use of guns and the presence of altruistic killing.

Representations of Violence, Representations as Violence: When the News Reports on Homicides of Disabled People

Ableist necropolitics can be seen no more starkly than in news portrayals of the murders of disabled people by family or caregivers. When such murders are reported in the news, disabled people as full subjects fade away, portrayed as objects of care and suffering; their murders are routinely presented as an understandable if tragic response by ‘overwhelmed’ carers. This article examines Australian news reporting on four cases of family murder–suicide involving disabled victims to explore news framings of violence as violence. We situate these representations within a spectrum of connected and overlapping ableist violence and conceptualise the harms they can produce and sanction. We argue that news portrayals of homicides involving disabled victims not only are frequently ableist and legitimising but also constitute a form of ableist epistemic violence that scaffolds ontological, structural and direct violence against disabled people.

Analyzing two decades of intimate partner femicide-suicides in Türkiye

Intimate partner femicide-suicide (IPF–S) is an understudied subgroup of homicide–suicide deaths. Limited research has been conducted on IPF-Ss in the Eastern Mediterranean region. This study thus aimed to evaluate the characteristics of IPF-Ss that occurred in Türkiye between 2000 and 2019. IPF-Ss (n = 226) were extracted from electronic news stories. Data on victims, perpetrators, their relationships, and incidents of murder and suicide were collected. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and logistic regression analysis, mortality rates, and proportion of IPF-S in femicide calculations were conducted, showing that 13.3% of the femicides (n = 1699) were IPF-Ss. The IPF-Ss increased in 5-year intervals and were the highest during the 2015–2019 period (62.5%). Victims were married in 48.2% of the cases and 56% were aged <35 years, while 51.3% of the perpetrators were married and 52.6% were aged >40 years. In 42.0% of the cases, the perpetrator lived with the victim. Most (79.2%) of the cases took place in urban settlements, and the perpetrators used firearms in 84.1% of femicide cases. Firearm use was the most common method in cases where IPF-S was planned (OR = 2.98), when the IPF-S method was the same (OR = 29.6), and when the perpetrator committed suicide (OR = 7.82). In addition, it was found that firearm ownership is an important risk factor for IPF-S in Türkiye. Therefore, we recommend legislation to restrict firearms, as well as new measures to prevent illegal access to weapons.

Forenzički aspekti komplikovanih samoubistava

Introduction/Aim: Homicide-suicides (H-S) are those suicides that occur after a person commits one or more murders. This social phenomenon occurs in the context of family tragedies. The frequency is low, but due to the tragic outcome, there is a need for researchers worldwide to address this topic. The aim of this study was to analyze the forensic aspects of H-S with special reference to the demographic characteristics of the perpetrator, the way of committing murder and suicide, and the mutual relationship between the victim and the perpetrator of H-S, in order to understand the circumstances under which it occurs, as well as the risk of this social phenomena. Methods: This retrospective descriptive study covered an eight-year (2015-2022) period. The study included individuals who committed suicide after committing one or more homicides. Data were obtained from autopsy and police reports from the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Belgrade. Demographic characteristics, circumstances of the case, number and localization of wounds, hetero-amnestic data, relationships between victims and killers, motives, and toxicological analysis were analyzed. Results: 19 cases of H-S and 39 victims were observed. The majority of victims were female (80%), and the killers were male (89.5%). The killers were 4.9 years older than the victims. The highest percentage of murderers were not been highly educated (84.2%), and a lot of them had a psychiatric diagnosis (47.4%). For both components of H-S, firearms were most often used (70-73.7%). Most of them were in the family (90%), specifically in emotional relationships (60%). The leading motives were jealousy (45%), family and financial problems (25%), and mercy (15%). Conclusion: H-S occurs within the family, most often using firearms by men from the lower social class, who have previously shown critical behavior. The reasons that lead to H-S are jealousy, quarrels, and illness. By identifying some of the components of H-S, it is possible to prevent their occurrence.

Associations of suicide-related media reporting characteristics with help-seeking and suicide in Oregon and Washington.

Specific content characteristics of suicide media reporting might differentially impact suicides in the population, but studies have not considered the overarching theme of the respective media stories and other relevant outcomes besides suicide, such as help-seeking behaviours. We obtained 5652 media reports related to suicide from 6 print, 44 broadcast and 251 online sources in Oregon and Washington states, published between April 2019 and March 2020. We conducted a content analysis of stories regarding their overarching focus and specific content characteristics based on media recommendations for suicide reporting. We applied logistic regression analyses to assess how focus and content characteristics were associated with subsequent calls to the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) and suicides in these two states in the week after publication compared to a control time period. Compared to a focus on suicide death, a focus on suicidal ideation, suicide prevention, healing stories, community suicide crises/suicide clusters and homicide suicide was associated with more calls. As compared to a focus on suicide death, stories on suicide prevention and stories on community suicide crises/suicide clusters were also associated with no increase in suicides. Regarding specific content characteristics, there were associations that were largely consistent with previous work in the area, for example, an association of celebrity suicide reporting with increases in suicide. The overall focus of a media story may influence help-seeking and suicides, and several story characteristics appear to be related to both outcomes. More research is needed to investigate possible causal effects and pathways.

Intimate Female Partner Homicide Suicide: demographic and psychopathology aspects of perpetrators and a potential not yet classified diagnostic entityAnalyses of data taken from newspapers in Italy from 2009 to 2019.

The homicide of the female partner followed by suicide of the perpetrator (Intimate Female Partner Homicide Suicide - IFPHS) has been a growing phenomenon over last years, but its psychosocial and psychopathological aspects have not been analyzed in-depth yet. The aim of this study was to investigate common psychopathological elements in different IFPHS and a specific risk profile for both the couple and the male partner, with the possibility to define a new serial mental condition not classified to date. A series of 50 cases of greater media coverage was reconstructed from the Italian newspapers in the period from 2009 to 2019 and information was collected through a predefined form. The characteristics of the perpetrators and the modalities through which the events occurred have been considered. No definite mental disorder is present in the history of almost all cases. A more common psychological profile is found for the homicide/suicide male partner, mainly characterized by jealousy, possessiveness, mood reactivity, rage, and impulsiveness. It can be hypothesized that such a severe act may express a form of mental disorder not yet classified, with main features of an acute state of mixed depressive mood, emotional discontrol and aggressive impulsiveness, on a personality basis of jealousy and possessiveness, possibly reinforced by previous dependent traits of the female partner. But the methodological limitations of gathering information from the press make it necessary the study in depth, based on more direct and objective methodologies, of such a highly dramatic and heterogeneous phenomenon.

Die Aktualität des Todestriebes

Abstract The actuality of Freuds Theory of the Death Drive The article argues, that Freuds theory of the death drive is more currently than generally accepted. The article deals especially with juvenile suicide murders in the middle east and asks, whether this phenomenon could happen as well in the center of Europe.

Murder suicide with offensive corpse mutilation: A case report

Murder-suicide events involving child victims can have a pernicious aftermath on survivors of the violence, family members and friends of the decedents, and the community. We present an unusual case report where a middle aged man had killed five family members and then committed suicide by hanging. Financial stress, illicit relationship with the sister in law and morbid jealousy had probably triggered this disastrous event.

A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme onSexual Abuse and its Preventive and Protective Measures among Adolescents inSelected PU Colleges of Kundapur Taluk, Udupi District

Sexual abuse is common among all the age groups cultures and socio economic strata of the society. It occurs at home school work places and other public places by family members neighbours teachers supervisors school mates and on occasions by strangers. Sexual abuse occurs throughout the world. Although in most countries there has been little research conducted on the problem available data suggests that in some countries merely one in four women may have experienced sexual violence by intimate partner. Sexual abuse has a profound impact on physical and mental health. Along with causing physical injury it is associated with an increased risk and range of sexual and reproductive health problems with both immediate and long term consequences. Its impact on mental health can be serious and long lasting. Death following sexual abuse may be as a result of suicide murder. The aim of the present study was to asses knowledge and provide structured teaching programme regarding sexual abuse and its prevention for adolescents. Evaluative approach preexperimental one group-pre-test and post-test design was used. Data was collected among 80 adolescents selected from Ashrith PU University and Viveka PU College of Kota Udupi district using non-probability purposive convenient sampling technique. During pre-test self-administered knowledge questionnaire was given to adolescents and knowledge was assessed following which structured teaching programme was carried out by the researcher. The post-test knowledge was further assessed using self-administered knowledge questionnaire. The study results showed that majority of the participants 55 68.75 were in the age group of 15-16 years maximum participants 60 75 were females and 20 25 were males. The mean knowledge score of participants before pre- test was 12.1 while after post-test it was 19.6. Independent t test value was t 0.43. There was a statistically significant association between gender chi2 44.9 pgt0.052 and sociodemographic variable.

Neuropathological Changes in the Brains of Suicide Killers.

Background: Homicide combined with subsequent suicide of the perpetrator is a particular form of interpersonal violence and, at the same time, a manifestation of extreme aggression directed against oneself. Despite the relatively well-described individual acts of homicide and suicide, both in terms of psychopathology and law, acts of homicide and subsequent suicide committed by the same person are not well-studied phenomena. The importance of emotional factors, including the influence of mental state deviations (psychopathology), on this phenomenon, is discussed in the literature, but still there is relatively little data with which to attempt neuropathological assessments of the brains of suicide killers. This paper is dedicated to the issue based on the neuropathological studies performed. Methods: We analyzed a group of murder–suicides using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods. Results: The results of our research indicate the presence of neurodegenerative changes including multiple deposits of ß-amyloid in the form of senile/amyloid plaques and perivascular diffuse plaques. Conclusions: Neurodegenerative changes found in the analyzed brains of suicide killers may provide an interesting starting point for a number of analyses. The presence of neurodegenerative changes at such a young age in some murderers may suggest preclinical lesions that affect cognitive functions and are associated with depressed moods.

Depression: The Impact On Second Generation Indo-Caribbeans Living in the United States

This study examined 17 second-generation Indo-Caribbeans living in the United States and explored the psychological issues of depression and its impact on this population. The goal was to identify themes that will emerge regarding the ramifications and experiences of second-generation Indo-Caribbeans (ICs). The socio-economic was $0 to 150,000. Participants identified as male or female. Their parents were born in the Caribbean. Eighty-seven percent of participants’ families remained nuclear through their adolescence until adulthood. Those who inhabited areas where the population was predominately comprised of the same ethnicity group (ICs) experienced less depression. Depression was prevalent with ICs who grew up in the suburbs or rural areas. Eighty-two percent of participants experienced independence by college or marriage. All participants denied living a life based on what the ideal description of an Asian is. However, all the participants’ lifestyle contradicts this description of an Asian. The effects depression has on second generation ICs were never completed. There is no data except of in this study. The results allow research and access to providers. This study provides psychoeducation, therapeutic modalities and history. Results will alleviate pain and permits discussion to mental health. This work can influence the suicidal rate, murder suicide and domestic violence that occurs in IC communities.

Nigerian Soldiers On The War Against Boko Haram

Abstract This study explores two main questions: What are the experiences of soldiers who have fought against Boko Haram? What can these experiences teach us about the seeming incapacity of the Nigerian military to defeat Boko Haram? Six major themes are explored. These are perspectives on the mission, morale of troops, military equipment and weapons, suicide and murder–suicide among troops, intelligence leaks, and relationships of troops with the Civilian Joint Task Force, an extralegal militia. Soldiers’ discourses on the mission against Boko Haram reveal three overlapping dimensions. First, there are suspicions about the sponsors and political godfathers of Boko Haram. This suggests a belief that Boko Haram is a conspiracy involving the government and top brass of the military. Second, the patronage system involved in deployment into key positions on the war front. Third, participants believe that the war is being deliberately prolonged because it is a moneymaking machinery for the political and military elites. The evidence suggests that availability of weapons varies by unit and the agency of commanders—their networks and influence within the military and willingness to disobey orders from superiors if their demands are not met. This situation produces radically variegated wartime experiences among troops. Non-commissioned soldiers believe senior commissioned officers perpetrate intelligence leaks and are responsible for the protracted war. Senior Army Generals interviewed in this study support this perspective. The study has major policy implications for successful operations against Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin area and the broader war against terrorism in the Sahel.

Murder-suicide – a brief systematic review

Murder-suicide is a relatively rare event, but one with a very high emotional and social impact. Despite this, there is still a relative paucity of data on the association of homicide and suicide. Therefore, the present paper aims to review the latest scientific literature on murder-suicide. We conducted a PubMed search using “murder suicide” as search phrase and we included papers published between 2015 and 2020 that were focused specifically on murder-suicide. Most studies conducted so far were based on forensic data, thus our understanding of the psychological processes behind murder-suicide is extremely limited. Nevertheless, the evidence shows that any patient with suicidal ideation should also be evaluated for homicidal ideation. Furthermore, the data shows that homicide, suicide and murder-suicide are very different phenomena; therefore, they should be reported separately. Some authors go as far as to suggest that murder-suicide should be considered a form of murder, rather than a form of suicide.

Is Homicide Followed by Suicide a Phenomenon in Itself? A Comparison of Homicide and Homicide-Suicide in Spain.

The phenomenon of homicide followed by suicide (HS) has a low prevalence worldwide, although the literature has identified that these cases represent a significant percentage in homicide subtypes such as intimate partner homicide or filicide. In the present study, HS (n = 41) and homicides in which the perpetrator did not commit suicide after the event (n = 556) are compared. The information was extracted from police reports of homicides committed in Spain between 2010 and 2012 and belonging to the jurisdictions of the National Police and Civil Guard. The results showed that out of the total number of homicides analyzed, HS accounted for 4.9%, which implies a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 inhabitants. The findings of the study show that the profile of a HS victim of a 52-year-old Spanish woman. The perpetrator is of Spanish origin, 50 years old, unemployed, or retired, with a mental disorder, and with substance use being uncommon at the time of the event. HS events take place at the perpetrator's home, are related to interpersonal conflicts, involve a single perpetrator, several victims, and are mainly committed with a firearm. The findings are mostly consistent with previous studies and the prevalence of HS in the couple setting is highlighted (56.5%). However, the importance of studying cases outside of this setting is emphasized since it has been found that 30.5% of cases involve other family relationships and 13% occurred outside the domestic sphere.

The association between Twitter content and suicide.

A growing body of research has established that specific elements of suicide-related news reporting can be associated with increased or decreased subsequent suicide rates. This has not been systematically investigated for social media. The aim of this study was to identify associations between specific social media content and suicide deaths. Suicide-related tweets (n = 787) geolocated to Toronto, Canada and originating from the highest level influencers over a 1-year period (July 2015 to June 2016) were coded for general, putatively harmful and putatively protective content. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine whether tweet characteristics were associated with increases or decreases in suicide deaths in Toronto in the 7 days after posting, compared with a 7-day control window. Elements independently associated with increased subsequent suicide counts were tweets about the suicide of a local newspaper reporter (OR = 5.27, 95% CI = [1.27, 21.99]), 'other' social causes of suicide (e.g. cultural, relational, legal problems; OR = 2.39, 95% CI = [1.17, 4.86]), advocacy efforts (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = [1.48, 3.70]) and suicide death (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = [1.07, 2.15]). Elements most strongly independently associated with decreased subsequent suicides were tweets about murder suicides (OR = 0.02, 95% CI = [0.002, 0.17]) and suicide in first responders (OR = 0.17, 95% CI = [0.05, 0.52]). These findings largely comport with the theory of suicide contagion and associations observed with traditional news media. They specifically suggest that tweets describing suicide deaths and/or sensationalized news stories may be harmful while those that present suicide as undesirable, tragic and/or preventable may be helpful. These results suggest that social media is both an important exposure and potential avenue for intervention.