Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the methods and wounds of suicide done by self-injury.
Introduction: Hanging and drug overdose are the most common ways of suicide. However, there are also more painfull methods of dying. This study considers: stabbing, cutting with a knife, ingestion of sharp foreign body, self-shooting, self-arson, crushing.
Methods: There were 65 recorded cases (M=56, F=9, mean age: 49.96±15.78) of self-mutilation as a way of death in archives of the Department of Forensic Medicine of Jagiellonian University Medical College in Cracow in years 2011–2016. All of them were studied in terms of the method, trial and mortal wounds (number, area, type), condition of clothing, prior psychiatric treatment, prior suicide attempts. All calculations were done with the usage of Statistica software.
Results: The most common methods of suicide were self-shooting (38.46%), cutting (26.15%), stabbing (16.92%). There was 1 case of foreign body ingestion and 1 of head crushing in a blacksmith machine. There were 6 cases of self-arson. Trial wounds were observed in 29.23% cases, all of them were recorded in cases of either stabbing or cutting. The places of mortal wounds: 43.4% head, 20.8% thorax, 18.9% upper limb, 9.4% neck, 3.8% lower limb, 1.9% abdomen, 1.9% digestive tract. The majority of patients (72.3%) had no previous mental treatment and prior suicide attempt (84.61%). In 57/65 cases the place of the wound was exposed.
Conclusion: People in their fifties commit suicide with self-injury. It happens most often with either a gun or a knife. The trial wounds were observed in cases of stabbing or cutting. 4 of 6 cases of self-arsony were accompanied by previous psychiatric treatment. Females commit suicides through self-mutilation more rarely than males.
Acknowledgements: Jagiellonian University Medical College.