A prospective study of suicidal deaths and its risk factors at a tertiary care level hospital of Ahmedabad a post-mortem study

Background and aims: Suicide is one of the significant causes of death. Suicidal deaths have increased in recent years due to various factors. Physical and mental illnesses, financial struggles, and interpersonal and family disputes contribute to suicidal deaths. The present study aims to assess the pattern of suicidal deaths and identify the contributing factors associated with suicidal death cases in a developing city like Ahmedabad. Material and methods: 552 post-mortem examinations were carried out at the mortuary from August 2020 – July 2021. The autopsy cases are accompanied by a requisition letter, "maranottar" form, and a copy of the inquest report. Information on the socio-demographic profile of the cases, history of circumstances before the incident and details about the incident was noted in a pre-designed proforma. The data were analyzed and presented as frequency and percentages. Results: Out of a total of 552 cases autopsied, 116(31.78%) were in a suicidal manner. Maximum cases were observed in September-December 2020. Suicide rates were almost similar in both genders. Most of the suicidal deaths were among youths (52.5%). Family disputes and family factors contributed to 20.6 % of suicidal deaths. The reason for suicide was unknown in most female suicide cases. Most of the cases were labourers (41.3%). Conclusion: Adolescents are a vulnerable group to suicidal deaths. Family issues and disputes are major contributing factors to suicidal deaths. While low socioeconomic status highly contributes towards suicides among males. 

Keywords: Autopsy; suicidal manner; contributing factor.