Adolescent and Young Adult Suicide: A 10-Year Retrospective Review of Kentucky Medical Examiner Cases

The compilation of all suicidal causes of death attained the third highest ranking of mortality between the ages of 15 and 24 following unintentional deaths and homicide in the United States, accounting for approximately 4000 deaths in 2002. A variety of biopsychosocial factors may contribute to ado...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of forensic sciences 2006-07, Vol.51 (4), p.874-879
Main Authors: Shields, Lisa B.E., Hunsaker, Donna M., Hunsaker III, John C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Child
Continental Population Groups - statistics & numerical data
Female
firearms
Forensic Medicine
forensic pathology
forensic science
Forensic sciences
Humans
Kentucky - epidemiology
Life Change Events
Male
Methods
Mortality
Retrospective Studies
Sex Distribution
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
suicide
Suicide - psychology
Suicide - statistics & numerical data
Suicides & suicide attempts
Teenagers
Wounds, Gunshot - mortality
youth
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Summary:The compilation of all suicidal causes of death attained the third highest ranking of mortality between the ages of 15 and 24 following unintentional deaths and homicide in the United States, accounting for approximately 4000 deaths in 2002. A variety of biopsychosocial factors may contribute to adolescent suicidal behavior, including psychiatric disorders, risk‐taking behaviors, and lack of a cohesive family unit. The authors conducted a 10‐year (1993–2002) retrospective review of 108 Medical Examiner cases of suicide ages 11–17 and 358 cases ages 18–24 in Kentucky, which represents two thirds of the Coroner cases in the state. The majority of victims were male and Caucasian. The major causes of death were the same for the two age groups, specifically, firearm injury (72.2% and 70.7%), hanging (22.2% and 18.7%), and drug intoxication (2.8% and 5.3%). An integrated Coroner‐Medical Examiner system profits in the public health arena by providing collaborative research data for policy decisions. The prevalence of youth suicide by firearm should prompt further discussion regarding ways to better identify high‐risk adolescents and young adults and restrict pediatric access to unsecured household firearms.
ISSN:0022-1198
1556-4029
DOI:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2006.00164.x