Child and adolescent suicides in Virginia: 1987 to 2003.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to better understand suicides in children and adolescents using records from the Office of the Medical Examiner of Virginia from 1987 to 2003.
Suicide accounted for 16.8% of unnatural deaths. Suicide rates were highest for Caucasians. Guns were the most common method of death for suicides, followed by hanging and poisoning. Poisoning other than carbon monoxide accounted for 7.8% of suicides, with tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) the most identifiable poison. Female youths were 10 times more likely to die from TCAs than male youths, after adjusting for race and age.


CONCLUSIONS
Guns and hanging were the principal methods of suicide. Among the antidepressants, TCAs have been the most common poisons used in suicide. Increasing age was a powerful determinant of suicide. Some patients may have stockpiled their TCAs for a while before their TCA overdose. Other suicide victims may have used TCA supplies from family members. Hence, some of the suicide victims may not have taken TCAs on a regular basis before committing suicide. Further exploration of TCA-induced suicidal thoughts is needed. Conclusions cannot be made at the time about the precise role that TCAs played in TCA-induced suicide reported in our study.
Vieweg
W Victor R
WV
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA. VVieweg@VCU.edu
Linker
Julie A
JA
Anum
Emmanuel A
EA
Turf
Elizabeth
E
Pandurangi
Anand K
AK
Sood
Bela
B
Fierro
Marcella F
MF
Fernandez
Antony
A
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000506:poisoning; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic