title: Psychological autopsies: the current Department of Defense effort to standardize training and quality assurance.
abstract: Psychological autopsies have been gathered by the US military for a long time, both for lessons learned after a known suicide and to investigate an equivocal death. The term "psychological autopsies" is now being restricted to define an investigation by mental health to help determine, in an equivocal death, if the manner of death is a homicide, suicide, an accident, or from natural causes. The Department of Defense has developed policy, and is now implementing training and peer review. A sample model curriculum, report format and quality assurance standards are included.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Policy and Women's Health Issues, Department of Defense/Health Affairs, Falls Church, VA 22041-3206, USA. Elspeth.Ritchie@ha.osd.mil
authors.forename: Elspeth Cameron
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Gelles
mesh_terms: D001344:Autopsy / Q000592:standards*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000592:standards; D005555:Forensic Psychiatry / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008890:Military Psychiatry / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards*; D011786:Quality Control; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology