title: [Suicide in children, youths and young adults].
abstract: Suicides among children and youths are tragic events. The suicide cases of children, youths and young adults examined between 1995 and 2009 at the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Hanover Medical School were retrospectively analyzed. Altogether, 54 suicides among children, youths and young adults (37 males, 17 females; median age 17.5 years) were evaluated. The suicide victims were predominantly male (68.5%). The vast majority used "hard" methods such as hanging, jumping from a height or being run over by a train. In seven cases (13.0%) psychiatric disorders were known. Seven victims (13.0%) left a suicide note. Suicide was most frequently (40.7%) committed in the open air (40.7%). In addition, the evaluation shows that at the time of committing suicide more than 40% of the youths and adolescents, in whom a chemical toxicological examination was performed, were under the influence of alcohol, medical and/or illegal drugs.
authors.affiliation: Aus dem Institut für Rechtsmedizin der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bode-Jänisch
authors.forename: Anna-Kathrin
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Krüger
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Todt
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Germerott
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hagemeier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000473:pathology; D001344:Autopsy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D055815:Young Adult