Burning Charcoal: an Indigenous Method of Committing Suicide in Hong Kong

The evolution of the phenomenon of burning charcoal to complete suicide by carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning (an increasingly common method of completing suicide in Hong Kong since 1998), was explored in the current study. It was found that CO poisoning by burning charcoal rose from 0% of all Hong Kong suicides in 1996 & 1997 to 10.1% in 1999, although the overall suicide rate remained unchanged during this period. Biopsychosocial & ethnological factors are explored, as are similarities to domestic gas poisoning. (21 refs)