title: Forensic characteristics of suicide by electrocution in Bulgaria.
abstract: Suicides by electrocution (SE) are relatively rare and insufficiently studied. The purpose of this study is to present a more detailed picture of SE in Bulgaria. Forensic medical files of 59 SE cases were examined. SPSS 11.0 software was applied to produce the descriptive statistical analyses. Values of p < 0.05 were assumed to be statistically significant. We studied 59 SE cases, which account for 6.24% of all deaths by electrocution and 0.09% of all forensic autopsies. The average age of victims was 45.19 years old. Males prevailed: 91.53%. Children below 18 years old accounted for 3.39%. 42.37% of the victims applied low voltage (<220 V), and 33.99% applied high voltage (>220 V). The preferred method of SE was by direct contact victim/electrical cable: 47.45%. The summer months June through September account for 49.15% of all cases.
authors.affiliation: Forensic Medicine and Deontology, Medical University of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria. Dokov@seznam.cz
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dokov
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002031:Bulgaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D004556:Electric Injuries / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*