A case-control study of tattoos in young suicide victims as a possible marker of risk.
BACKGROUND
The goal was to examine tattooing in suicides, as tattoos have been associated with several risk factors for suicide.


METHODS
A chart review of a three-year sample of 134 consecutive suicides in Mobile County, Alabama, was conducted. The prevalence of tattoos was compared between young (<30) white suicides and accidental deaths matched for age, gender and race, in a case-control study.


RESULTS
Tattoos were found in 21% of suicides. Fifty-seven percent of young white suicides were tattooed compared to 29% of matched accidental deaths.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings are preliminary due to the small sample size. The study methodology precluded obtaining information of psychiatric diagnoses prior to death.


CONCLUSIONS
Tattoos may be possible markers for lethality from both suicide and accidental death in young people, presumably because of shared risk factors such as substance abuse and personality disorder. Affective disorders should receive further, more specific studies. The clinical value of inquiring about tattoos in young people at risk of suicide needs further study.
Dhossche
D
D
Department of Psychiatry, University of South Alabama College of Medicine, 3421 Medical Park Drive West, Suite 2, Mobile, Alabama 36693, USA.
Snell
K S
KS
Larder
S
S
D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000407:Alabama / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013653:Tattooing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data