Psychological autopsy of suicide-a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Psychological autopsy is the reconstruction of events leading to death. There are few studies on psychological autopsy.

AIM

To understand the profile of suicide completers and find out ways of dealing with it.

METHODS

Fifty suicide cases were analysed. Using a semi-structured, self-designed questionnaire, the family, friends and relatives of the deceased were interviewed.

RESULTS

The presence of some type of psychiatric disorder and stressful life events are two important reasons for committing suicide.

CONCLUSION

Psychological autopsy is a very important tool for assessing the causes and precipitants of suicide. More and more studies in this field are required with a larger sample size for the evaluation of suicides.