Psychological autopsy: Overview of equivocal deaths, suicides and homicide-suicides

Title

Psychological autopsy: Overview of equivocal deaths, suicides and homicide-suicides

Creator

Amritha R.; Parvana P.; Riza K.S.; Arjun Rao I.

Description

Psychological autopsy studies are a method to understand the causes of equivocal deaths. Suicides and homicide-suicide are the result of various events. The understanding of an individual's life before their death, by interviewing the next of kin, provides some insight into the causes. The research articles dealing with psychological autopsy studies through case studies of suicide or homicide-suicide instances, obtained from different search engines, shed light on the mental health, Alcohol use disorder (AUD), and Drug use disorders (DUD) of individuals before death. The primary characteristic of suicides in a population of late twenties to early fifties was romantic relationship conflicts. In contrast, suicides in the teenage years and early twenties were characterized primarily by a lack of familial acceptability and, to a lesser extent, self-acceptance. Simultaneously, there was a high risk of suicidal behavior and commission of acts among the DUD patients, getting treatment without psychiatric diagnosis and therapy. Over time, the psychological autopsy technique has shown to be quite helpful in determining the risk factors for suicidal behavior. The study helps to develop multiple rehabilitation and mental awareness that need to be created among various populations so that the suicide and homicide-suicide rates can be reduced. 2025 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine

Source

Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Vol-110

Date

2025-01-01

Publisher

Churchill Livingstone

Subject

Death; Equivocal; Homicide-suicide; Mental illness; Psychological autopsy; Suicide

Coverage

Amritha R., Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India; Parvana P., Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India; Riza K.S., Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India; Arjun Rao I., Department of Life Sciences, Christ University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India

Rights

Restricted Access

Relation

ISSN: 1752928X

Format

Online

Language

English

Type

Review

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2025.102813

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85216123305&doi=10.1016%2fj.jflm.2025.102813&partnerID=40&md5=fbda18aa3e3a528f383d2ee9a8d6fba0