Department of Forensic Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Department of Forensic Medicine, Rama Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Kanpur, India.
Asian J Psychiatr. 2022 Feb;68:102979. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102979. Epub 2021 Dec 24.
Suicidal behavior in pregnancy is a known fact worldwide. However, the published literature is still debating whether pregnancy is associated with an increase in the risk of suicide. Nonetheless, this is an important phenomenon that should not be ignored as the life of an unborn fetus is involved. The present study is a retrospective analysis of suicide death in pregnancy for the years 2011-2020 to study the different parameters.
The cases were collected from the archives of the department with due permission from the authority. Data were analyzed according to the age of the victim, duration of pregnancy, and time and cause of death.
The commonest age group was 21-25 years, the time of death was mostly during the daytime, and most of the deaths were due to hanging. These findings are not unusual in comparison to the general population. The pregnancy duration of most of the cases was first and second trimester, and third-trimester pregnancy accounted for far less number. In contrast, some studies showed that suicidal ideation and depression were more common during the first trimester and third trimester. Most of the pregnant women were pregnant with male fetuses.
Though suicidal ideation is more during the first and third trimester, suicide occurs mostly in the first and second trimester, with third-trimester suicide deaths being far less. Being pregnant with a male fetus might be a risk factor in comparison to having female fetuses. These are two aspects that need to be explored further.
自杀行为在妊娠期间是一个世界范围内已知的事实。然而，已发表的文献仍在争论妊娠是否与自杀风险增加有关。尽管如此，这是一个不应忽视的重要现象，因为涉及到未出生胎儿的生命。本研究是对 2011 年至 2020 年期间妊娠期间自杀死亡的回顾性分析，以研究不同的参数。
这些病例是从该部门的档案中收集的，并获得了当局的许可。根据受害者的年龄、妊娠持续时间以及死亡时间和原因对数据进行了分析。
最常见的年龄组是 21-25 岁，死亡时间大多在白天，大多数死亡是由于上吊。与一般人群相比，这些发现并不罕见。大多数病例的妊娠持续时间是第一和第二孕期，第三孕期的妊娠比例要少得多。相比之下，一些研究表明，自杀意念和抑郁在第一和第三孕期更为常见。大多数孕妇怀的是男胎。
尽管自杀意念在第一和第三孕期更为常见，但自杀大多发生在第一和第二孕期，第三孕期自杀死亡的情况要少得多。与怀有女胎相比，怀有男胎可能是一个风险因素。这两个方面都需要进一步探讨。
