Resource Tag: EQUIVOCAL DEATH

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The case of Paul Framson, a 56-year-old futures broker, is presented. After his sudden death, 4 life insurance companies denied payment of death benefits claiming that Framson had committed suicide. When denied benefits, the insured’s estate may challenge the medical examiner’s determination of cause of death. This case illustrates the role played by suicidologists in […]

This story/article is by a small town physician called to the scene of a death. The woman said that her husband shot himself in the head. The doctor reflects on the history of the violent physical abuse this woman has suffered for some 10 years. He had set many a fractured bone & had hospitalized […]

The inconspicuous number of cases of self-induced hyperinsulinaemia reported in the literature suggest that many escape detection. This article reviews the case of a nurse who fatally overdosed using insulin. Investigation showed that there had been at least 4 previous episodes of parasuicide, all involving insulin overdoses. Information on insulin is also presented as background […]

The authors present the case of the homicidal choking of a 29 year-old mental hospital inpatient. At the time of discovery, the subject was believed to have committed suicide but autopsy findings & re-investigation of the case revealed that he had been murdered by another inpatient. (9 refs.)

Self-strangulation for committing suicide by the use of ligature is admittedly rare. A suicidal strangulation case from Haryana State, India is discussed in light of the scene of occurrence, investigations of the ligature and its knot. Initially, the case was suspected to be murder, but it proved to be suicidal strangulation. (1 ref.)

This study found that the suicide rate, based on assessment of coroner’s records, was very close to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) rate for Kildare & Ireland. In the 1960s, similar clinical assessment concluded CSO rates underestimated suicide, but the authors of this study conclude the changes in CSO coding procedures have been successful in […]

This proceeding describes a paper that analyzes the legal presentation of the testimony of suicidologists as expert opinion in litigation cases in the United States. The paper analyses 24 legal cases for type of suicide litigation, non-medically trained suicidologists as experts, investigative procedures for cases of suicide, & application of suicidologist testimony in legal cases. […]

A case study of the death of William David Thomas, a 43 year old postal worker, whose body was recovered on March 14, 1969 from a river in Cardiff. It was reported that a cause of death could not be determined due to the state of the body & there was no direct evidence for […]

Grief is a suicide survivor’s attempt to maintain continuity of beliefs about life & identity that a potentially preventable death has interrupted. It may include pain, fear, sorrow, or anger. Most bereavement literature describes experiences of spouses & children. In this summarized paper, a case example is presented of a 28 year old woman who […]

Validity & reliability of suicide statistics may be considered at 3 levels: (1) Are suicides mis- or differentially identified across jurisdictions or over time? Suicides are likely to be undercounted; very few nonsuicides are identified as suicides. (2) To what degree are they misidentified? There is no agreement, but some inconsistencies arise from a lack […]

500 psychological autopsies on equivocal deaths were reviewed to decide which factors are significant in deciding between suicidal & accidental deaths. Significant factors included life-style, recent stress, suicidal communications, previous self-destructive behaviors, history of depression, & obvious factors from the physical evidence, such as, large amounts of drugs in the blood. The assembled evidence is […]

A review of research on the classification & counting of deaths reveals little hard evidence supporting claims that suicides are seriously underreported in the U.S. An analysis of detailed cause-of-death mortality data indicates that the maximum likely undercount possible, using generous assumptions concerning misclassification frequency, was about 26% for 1980, & if compensating overcounts are […]

This brief article questions the supposed “suicides” of 3 West German political prisoners found dead in their cells. A number of conflicting aspects of the deaths are reviewed & it is strongly suggested that suicide was not the cause of death. (LH)

The issue of motor vehicle accidents as a method of suicide is discussed with reference to an interview with a psychiatrist who has studied the subject. Behavior characteristics of the suicide driver are reviewed along with various studies of how one’s personality affects one’s driving. Defensive driving is cited as a motorist’s best protection against […]

This paper reports on several cases of equivocal deaths that were recorded as suicide. Each case includes information as recorded by investigators & utilized by the Medical Examiner to assess the cause of death. In each instance, a portion of the information suggests that death may have occurred through means other than suicide. (15 refs.) […]

Briefly discusses a study of 28 consecutive fatal motor vehicle accidents in which the deceased was judged responsible. Of the 28 victims, 14 were found to have been depressed &/or suicidal. Their driving records identified them as risk-taking, reckless, imprudent & self destructive. Four were ruled definite suicides. (LH)

The author notes that 4 possible sources of death certification errors & variability ultimately influence the validity & reliability of official reported suicide statistics. The importance of accurate manner of death certifications is elaborated. A working group was convened with the goal of improving the accuracy of suicide statistics, & operational criteria for classification of […]

Presents brief details about the disappearance of a young computer hacker. A cryptic letter alluded to the possibility that he might commit suicide but his fate and whereabouts are still unknown.

Mortality in young drug users in Gothenburg, Sweden was investigated in a follow-up study in 2 unselected groups & groups of selected abusers from government agency files. The mortality rate was significantly increased in the selected groups, 2.4 – 6.9 times for males & 1.3 – 7.9 times for females. The proportion of unnatural deaths […]

Therapeutic doses of certain medications can alter or impair the thought processes of susceptible patients. A diagnosis of drug-induced organic mental disorder may be appropriate for some attempted & completed suicides who present as drug overdoses. The process of automatism is defined by the author”as nonreflexive, directed & apparently purposive motor behavior performed without full […]

It is often impossible to decide whether a death due to poisoning with drugs and/or alcohol is accidental or intentional. In 1965 WHO introduced the category “uncertain cases of death” in the official statistics. The number of cases in this category has increased and constitutes at present in Sweden between 30 and 70 percent of […]