A descriptive study of female suicide deaths from 2005 to 2011 in Van city, Turkey

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Hekimoglu Y., MELEZ İ. E., CANTÜRK N., Erkol Z., Dizdar M. G., CANTÜRK G., ...More

BMC Women's Health, vol.16, no.1, 2016 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 16 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.1186/s12905-016-0299-1
  • Journal Name: BMC Women's Health
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus
  • Keywords: Autopsy, Death, Forensic pathology, Forensic science, Suicide, Women
  • Open Archive Collection: AVESIS Open Access Collection
  • Manisa Celal Bayar University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Background: Female suicide is an important problem not only for women but for public health in general. Methods: Autopsy reports from the Van Chief Public Prosecutor's Office from 2005 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively in order to analyse female deaths from suicide. Results: Sixty-six female suicide cases were recorded during 2005-2011. The mean age of the cases was 22.64 (sd = 10.09) years, and nine were below the age of 15. The most common method of suicide was hanging (44 cases, 66.7%). Five (7.6%) of the cases were under treatment for depression, and 12 (18.2%) cases had a previous suicide attempt. Conclusions: Cultural suppression of females and prevention of their socialization in enclave societies are risk factors for female suicides. The number of female suicide attempts, especially recurring attempts, should be reduced via psychiatric scanning, follow-up sessions and therapy for high-risk individuals.