Suicide: A Ten-Year Retrospective Review of Kentucky Medical Examiner Cases

Suicide, a manner of death, ranked as the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States and accounted for approximately 30,000 deaths in 2001. A host of biological and psychosocial components interplay in a suicide investigation. Precipitating factors may include domestic quarrels, loss of em...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic sciences 2005-05, Vol.50 (3), p.1-5
Main Authors: Shields, LBE, Hunsaker, DM, Hunsaker, JC
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Ethnic Groups
Female
Firearms
Forensic Pathology
Forensic sciences
Humans
Kentucky - epidemiology
Male
Medical Records
Middle Aged
Retrospective Studies
Seasons
Suicide - ethnology
Suicide - statistics & numerical data
Suicides & suicide attempts
Wounds, Gunshot - epidemiology
Wounds, Gunshot - ethnology
Wounds, Gunshot - etiology
Wounds, Gunshot - pathology
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Summary:Suicide, a manner of death, ranked as the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States and accounted for approximately 30,000 deaths in 2001. A host of biological and psychosocial components interplay in a suicide investigation. Precipitating factors may include domestic quarrels, loss of employment, financial difficulties, substance abuse, chronic disease, or mental illness. The authors conducted a ten-year (1993-2002) retrospective review of suicide from all Medical Examiners' Offices in Kentucky. There were 2,864 suicides ranging between 11 and 96 years (average age 42.0 years). The majority of victims were males (81.7%) and Caucasian (94.8%). African-American females comprised the smallest group, consisting of only 0.59%. The preferred mode of death was by firearm (67.5%), followed by hanging (13.7%), overdose (9.9%), and carbon monoxide poisoning (4.4%). This comprehensive study discusses the trends of suicide in the United States during the twentieth century and underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to the investigation and prevention of suicide.
ISSN:0022-1198
1556-4029
DOI:10.1520/JFS2004345