title: [Fatal suicidal poisoning using chemicals and drugs in the Jagiellonian University Institute of Forensic Medicine, in the years 1991-2000].
abstract: 191 cases of fatal suicidal poisonings in the years 1991-2000 were analysed. Postmortem examinations were conducted in the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the Jagiellonian University. The group of poisonings was selected from a total of 1937 fatal suicidal cases examined in our Institute. Frequency of suicidal attempts, kind of chemicals/drugs used, age and sex relationships, probable motives and seasonal a variables were taken into account in our investigation. The results were compared to previous studies. Poisonings comprise about 10% of the total number of suicidal cases. The most frequent are poisonings using drugs, then using chemicals. The number of cases of males committing suicide by poisoning is about twice as many as seen in females in such cases. The most important motives were mental disturbances, the latter most frequent motives were alcoholism and somatic illnesses. The peak of number of cases was noted in the summer months, June and July (about 1/3 of the total number of cases). In the last decade we systematically observed both a rise in the total number of suicides and a lower percentage of poisonings.
authors.affiliation: Katedry i Zakładu Medycyny Sadowej CM UJ w Krakowie.
authors.forename: Franciszek
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trela
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kołodziej
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bolechała
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001344:Autopsy; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012621:Seasons; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*