Copeland A R
Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1987 Mar;8(1):18-22. doi: 10.1097/00000433-198703000-00005.
A study of suicidal drownings was performed by using the case files of the Office of the Medical Examiner of Metropolitan Dade County in Miami, Florida, U.S.A., during 1980-1984. A total of 70 cases were collected and analyzed as to the age, race, sex, and cause of death of the victim, along with blood alcohol content, the drugs detected at postmortem examination, the geographic location of the terminal incident, the scene circumstances, the presence or absence of a suicide note, and the reason for the suicide. Essentially, one deals with an older white male population, although all age groups can be affected. Members of the population studied frequently died from drowning alone, rather than from additional contributory causes. Most were sober and frequently without drugs detected. Most incidents occurred at home or in a canal, with the victim just "found floating". A note was absent approximately half the time. The reason for the act was depression concerning poor health, death of a loved one, financial problems, chronic pain, or being "tired of life". A discussion ensues about the approach a forensic scientist should have concerning such cases.
利用美国佛罗里达州迈阿密大都市戴德县法医办公室1980 - 1984年期间的案件档案，对自杀性溺水事件进行了一项研究。共收集了70例案件，并对受害者的年龄、种族、性别、死因、血液酒精含量、尸检时检测到的药物、最终事件的地理位置、现场情况、是否有自杀遗书以及自杀原因进行了分析。基本上，虽然所有年龄组都可能受到影响，但研究对象主要是老年白人男性。所研究人群的成员经常仅死于溺水，而非其他辅助性死因。大多数人清醒，且尸检时经常未检测到药物。大多数事件发生在家中或运河里，受害者只是“被发现漂浮着”。大约一半的情况下没有遗书。自杀原因是健康不佳、亲人死亡、经济问题、慢性疼痛或“厌倦生活”导致的抑郁。随后展开了关于法医科学家对此类案件应采取何种方法的讨论。
