Browsing by Author "LINA MARIA RAMOS ARANDIA MD."

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Prevalencia y tipificación del suicidio complejo: un estudio exploratorio en Bogotá entre 2000-2007
    (UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA, 2009) LINA MARIA RAMOS ARANDIA MD.; Ramos Aranda, Lina María; Díaz, Sandra Patricia
    Exploratory descriptive study on complex suicide in Bogotá, defined as the concurrent or contingent use of two or more self–inflicted methods in a single suicidal act. All autopsy reports of deaths classified as suicide at the Bogotá Regional Office of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences between 2000 and 2007 were reviewed, identifying and characterising those cases in which combined methods were documented. Sociodemographic variables, circumstances of death, mechanisms used, sources of evidence (scene and autopsy), history of previous attempts, suicide notes, reported motives and use of psychological autopsy were analysed. Nineteen cases of complex suicide were found, representing a prevalence of about 0.94 % of all suicides in the period, with a male:female ratio close to 5:1 and a predominance of young and middle–aged adults. The most frequent combinations were hanging with exogenous poisoning, stab wounds with poisoning and hanging with firearm injury; economic and affective problems were the most frequently mentioned motives. The thesis highlights the need to recognise this type of suicide in forensic practice, to improve the quality of information recorded in death scene reports and autopsy findings, and to incorporate the category of simple versus complex suicide into information systems in order to support forensic investigation and suicide–prevention policies.