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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: The state of Kerala has attained very high standards of health care at the National level, but the high rate of suicide is a major health problem which has to be tackled. The suicide rate in Kerala in 2014 (24.9 per 100,000) is much higher than the National average of 10.6. The rate hit the top in the year 2001 - 02 with 28.8, after which it started to decline and by 2012 came down to 24.3. According to data provided by the Kerala State Mental Health Authority, the population in Kerala as per 2011 census is 33,900,662. Total number of suicides in Kerala in 2014 is 8446, the suicide rate being 24.9 per lakh population. Fatal deliberate self-harm (suicide) is a self-chosen method to end one's own life. It may be due to momentary behavioural aberration or the person may be harbouring the suicidal tendency for a prolonged period. Suicide is best viewed as a symptom rather than a disease. The underlying disease may be depression of one type or the other and is considered to be treatable by pharmacological or psychological means.
Aims and Objectives: Comparative study of 'Fatal Deliberate Self-Harm' (DSH) in the year 2000 and 2015 regarding the 1.
METHODS adopted, and 2. Distribution of population groups.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective case series study, in which all cases of 'fatal deliberate self-harm' brought for autopsy during the year 2000 and 2015 were analysed and compared with each other. Sample Size-There were 614 cases of 'Fatal Deliberate Self-Harm' in the year 2000 and 542 cases in the year 2015.
Source Population-All cases of 'Fatal Deliberate Self- Harm,' brought for autopsy in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Kottayam in the year 2000 and 2015.
Inclusion Criteria-All Known cases of death due to DSH. Exclusion Criteria-All Unknown bodies of death due to DSH.
Data Collection-Baseline data like age, sex, religion and history of any disease were collected from the requisition provided by the investigating police officer. Other parameters like method adopted for suicide and the age group distribution were analysed. In the case of poisoning, the type of poison was entered based on the report of the Chief Chemical Examiner to Government of Kerala.
Analysis-Data collected was entered in MS Excel and analysed using SPSS version 15. Statistical Test-Chi-square test.
RESULTS: Total number of post-mortem examinations in Dept. of Forensic Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Kottayam in the year 2000 was 1457, out of which 614 cases (42.1%) were fatal cases of deliberate self-harm (DSH). In 2015, total number of cases were 1665, in which fatal cases of DSH were 542 (32.6%). In the year 2000 out of 614 cases of suicides brought for autopsy males constituted 409 (66.6%) cases and females 205 (33.4%), while in 2015 out of 542 cases of suicides males constituted 390 (72.0%) cases and females 152 (28%). In 2000, total number of fatal DSH cases was 614. Out of these, 315 cases were poisoning (51%), 190 cases were hanging (31%), 67 were burns (11%), 19 were drowning (3%), 12 were railway occurrence (2%) and 11 were other types (2%) including cut throat (4 cases), firearm (3 cases) and blast (2 cases). In 2015 out of a total of 542 fatal DSH cases, 340 were hanging (63%), 136 were poisoning (25%), 41 were burns (7.6%), 13 were drowning (2.6%), 6 were railway (1%) and 6 were other types (1%). In the year 2000 among the 614 cases of DSH there were 315 (51.3%) of poisoning, whereas in the year 2015 among the 542 cases of DSH poisoning constituted only 136 (25.1%) cases.
CONCLUSION: The most vulnerable age group for committing fatal DSH in year 2000 was 21 - 30 years followed by 31 - 40 years. The most vulnerable age group for committing fatal DSH in year 2015 was 41 - 50 years followed by 51 - 60 years. The most common method adopted for committing fatal DSH was poisoning followed by hanging in year 2000. The most common method adopted for committing fatal DSH was hanging followed by poisoning in year 2015. The most frequently used poison for fatal DSH was Carbamate followed by Organophosphorous poisoning in year 2000. Religion wise Hindus were the most common victims of fatal DSH followed by Christians and Muslims who were only minimally involved in fatal DSH in both 2000 and 2015.
Language: en |