Impulsive but Fatal Self-Poisoning With Pesticides Among South Asians in Nickerie, Suriname: an Exploratory Autopsy Study

The circumstances & characteristics of suicides in Nickerie, Suriname are described in order to gain insight into why South Asians commonly use self-poisoning. An exploratory psychological autopsy study was conducted with 19 survivors of 13 suicides. Impulsivity plays an important role in self-poisnonings, as well as aggression & easy accessibility of pesticides. Possible answers to the question of why South Asians often use self-poisoning may be found in culture, upbringing, styles of communication, & genetics. Howerver, more research is needed to explore these hypotheses. (18 refs.)