Patterns and Trends of Suicide Among Females in Peshawar
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Every woman undergoes certain hormonal changes as soon she step into her teens. These hormones are related with appearance of secondary sexual characters, such as change in behavior, mood disorders, aggression, and depression.
OBJECTIVE: To examine suicide trends and patterns among females of District Peshawar; and to explore causes for suicide in this population.
METHODOLOGY: The bodies of women in the reproductive age who died as a result of fatal deliberate self harming were examined at Forensic Medicine Department Khyber Medical College, Peshawar from January 2017 to December 2017.
RESULTS: Forty-four bodies of females were autopsied. 13 (30%) were adolescents between age 10-18 years. 31 (70.4%) were age between 19-48 years.33 of the victims committed suicide due to health related issues. 28 (64%) victims use poisons. In almost all cases (n=38) the incident happened when the victim was alone in house or left unattended. 30 (68%) victims were brought to hospitals for treatment. 13 were found to have recurrent attempt of self-harming.Suicide was associated with family and marital issues, and the methods of suicide included poison ingestion and hanging.
CONCLUSION: Females have increasedtendency to commit suicide than males especially in their reproductive age. Low socioeconomic status, cultural norms unwanted pregnancies and ill health are the major causes..
KEY WORDS: Tresnds, Patterns, Suicide, Female, Peshawar
References
Retterstøl N. Suicide: a European perspective: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Bertolote JM, Fleischmann A. A global perspective in the epidemiology of suicide. Suicidologi 2015;7(2).
India PS. National Crime Records Bureau. Ministry Of Home Affairs, Government Of India, New Delhi 2011.
Kanchan T, Menon A, Menezes RG. Methods of choice in completed suicides: gender differences and review of literature. Journal of forensic sciences 2009;54(4):938-42.
Organization WH. Figures and facts about suicide: Geneva: World Health Organization, 1999.
Monk M. Epidemiology of suicide. Epidemiologic Reviews 1987;9(1):51-69.
Organization WH. Young people’s health-a challenge for society: report of a WHO Study Group on Young People and†Health for All by the Year 2000â€[meeting held in Geneva from 4 to 8 June 1984]: World Health Organization, 1986.
Phillips MR, Liu H, Zhang Y. Suicide and social change in China. Culture, medicine and psychiatry 1999;23(1):25-50.
Harris EC, Barraclough B. Excess mortality of mental disorder. Br J Psychiatry 1998; 173: 11–53.
Cavanagh JTO, Carson AJ, Sharpe M, Lawrie SM.Psychological autopsy studies of suicide: a systematic
Ansari RZ, incidence of poisoning in Peshawar. Intel Jol Pathology vol 16-1, 16-20
Scott KW Suicide of Wolverhampton (1976-1990). Med Sci Law 1994; 34 (2), 99-105.
Kanchan T, Menezes R G. Suicidal poisoning mortalities in Southern India: gender divergences. J
Forensic Legal Med 2008; 15 :7–14.
Peng KL, Choo AS. Suicide in Singapore, 1986. Aust NZ J Psychiatry 1992; 26 (4): 599-608.
Nachman R, Yanai O, Goldin L, Swartz M, Barak Y, Hiss J. Suicide in Israel: 1985-1997. J Psychiatry Neuro Sci 2002; 27 (6): 423-8.
Saeed A, Bashir MZ, Khan D, Iqbal J, Raja KS, Rehmon A. Epidemiology of suicide in Faisalabad. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2002; 14 (4):34-7.
Namboodiri VMD.Conscise Text book of Psychiatry. 2nd edition. New Delhi: Reed Elsevier India Private Ltd; 2005.p. 292-30.
