A study of suicidal deaths in central Nepal

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted with objectives of exploring the common ways opted to commit suicide and their demographic variations among the suicidal deaths brought to Bharatpur hospital to conduct medicolegal autopsies. Methods: This is a hospital-based retrospective study which was carried out in Bharatpur Hospital. The materials comprised of 170 autopsy cases of suicidal deaths of all ages, of total 470 autopsies done in the mortuary in the year 2013. Results: Suicidal deaths contributed to 36.2% of the total medico-legal autopsies. The mean age of the victims was 38.4 ± 16.131 years. Males and females were equally involved, 31-40 years being the most common age group involved. Hanging (60.6%) was the most common method of committing suicide, followed by poisoning (34.7%) for both the sexes. Most of the cases (16.5%) committed suicide in the late afternoon and evening; 3:01 to 6:00 PM. About 73.5% cases died without getting any treatment. The treatment history varied significantly with the cause of committing suicide (P < 0.001). Most of the cases (45.3%) were found dead on the spot. The place of death of the cases was significantly associated with the cause (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Suicide is a major public health problem in our settings as it affects the most economically productive persons. As it is difficult to save the life of the person once he has opted a means to commit suicide, measures have to be implemented to identify and protect the vulnerable persons.