Suicide Among Adolescents in Center Tunisia: An 18-Year Autopsy Study
Journal Title: International Journal of Forensic Science & Pathology (IJFP) - Year 2016, Vol 4, Issue 9
Abstract
Background: Suicide and suicide attempts are more common among adolescents. Many factors are known to influence suicide in particular: region and culture. Adolescent suicide has been widely studied in many countries, but there are, currently, no data relating to adolescent suicide in Tunisia. Aim: The aims of this study were to describe epidemiological aspects of death related to adolescent suicide in Sousse, a city in central Tunisia. Methods: Data of forensic autopsies from 1998 to 2015 related to suicide of adolescents were retrospectively examined considering age, gender, method of death, year and risk factor. Results: 70 cases were reported with female predominance (62, 8%). The age range was from 10 to 19 and most of the suicides occurred in the 15-to-19 age group (75, 7%). Most victims were from rural zones (70%). Self-poisoning was the most used method (47, 1 %) followed by hanging (35, 7%). Hanging was the most common method used by males (17/26) and self-poisoning by females (29/44). Self-poisoning was related to pesticides in the vast majority of cases (29 cases among 33). The identified precipitating factors were chronic family problems in 51.4%, sentimental deception in 8.6%. Conclusion: This retrospective study raises concerns regarding the use of pesticides and the urgent need to provide rural areas with structures and medical equipment. This will ensure adequate suicide prevention in the region.
Authors and Affiliations
Maher Jedidi
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP200445
- DOI 10.19070/2332-287X-1600064
- Views 169
- Downloads 0
Gastroschisis with Multiple Skeletal Deformities, Imperforate Anus and Absent Genitalia : A Rare Presentation
Gastroschisis is a rare type of congenital abdominal wall defect involving full thickness of anterior abdominal wall. Out of different varieties, gastroschisis is one of the severe forms with an incidence of about 1 in 1...
Medicolegal Consequences of Death due to Stevens Johnson Syndrome: A Case Report
Conditions like Stevens Johnson syndrome are very rare and mortality arising out of it is still a rarest entity. It is immune complex mediated hypersensitivity reaction; most common factors to trigger the immunity are dr...
A Post-Mortem Diagnosis of Idiopathic Giant Cell Myocarditis Presenting as Sudden Death: A Report of Two Cases
Giant cell myocarditis is also known as ‘Granulomatous myocarditis’, of which Idiopathic giant cell myocarditis (IGCM) is a rare clinicopathological entity. IGCM is known to cause sudden death in healthy adults in the ab...
Characterization of Photocopier Toners By X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS): How They Change With Age
A Past work in the examination of photocopier toners has used various infrared spectroscopic techniques and pyrolysis gas chromatography [1-7]. These approaches have been successful in differentiating between various pho...
Two Autopsy Cases Assessing the Association of Rare Tumors Adjacent to the Sella turcica with Cause of Death and a Review of the Literature
Case 1 is an 80 year-old female, who consumed alcohol in a bar, fell down the stairs upon returning home, and was later found deceased. A postmortem CT did not confirm the presence of a tumor. An autopsy confirmed diffus...