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Suicide Among Children and Adolescents in a Province of Turkey |
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| Authors: | Ibrahim Uzun MD ; Ferah An&#;k Karayel MD ; Elif Ulker Aky&#;ld&#;z MD ; Arzu Akcay Turan MD ; Sad&#;k Toprak MD ; and Baha Berk Arpak MD |
| Institution: | Forensic Medicine Specialist, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Ministry of Justice, Istanbul, Turkey.; Pathologist, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Ministry of Justice, Istanbul, Turkey.; Pathologist, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey.; Forensic Medicine Specialist, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpasa University, Tokat, Turkey.; Institute of Forensic Medicine, Ministry of Justice, Istanbul, Turkey. |
| Abstract: | Abstract: Despite well-documented increases in completed suicides among children, accurate knowledge of the characteristics of these suicides is very limited. The aim of this study was to investigate general characteristics of suicide among children and adolescents in the province of Istanbul and to evaluate obtained results in the light of the literature. Data were collected from autopsy records of the Morgue Department of Institute of Forensic Medicine, Istanbul. General characteristics of completed suicides among children and adolescents between 2001 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. The study included 176 suicides aged 9–19 years. The overwhelming majority of the suicides (92%) were aged 15–19 years. More than half of the suicides (60%) were male. The most frequent means of suicide was hanging (55%) followed by firearms (20%) and jump or descent from height (15%). |
| Keywords: | forensic medicine children adolescents suicide risk factors autopsy |