1
|
Oura P. Seasonal variation in medico-legal autopsies in Finland-a nationwide analysis of the period 2016-2021. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:277-280. [PMID: 36038738 PMCID: PMC10772001 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-022-02880-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Both natural and unnatural mortality have seasonal variation. In spite of the established link between season and mortality, it is unclear whether medico-legal autopsies are subject to similar variation. Building on a nationwide dataset from the years 2016-2021, this short report aimed to analyse whether medico-legal autopsies are subject to seasonal variation in Finland. An electronic information system was queried for the monthly numbers of performed autopsies. Monthly and yearly trends were estimated with Kruskal-Wallis test and linear regression. A total of 50,457 medico-legal autopsies were performed during the 6-year study period. There were on average 29 to 47 autopsies per day, with an estimated annual decline of 1.8% (95% confidence interval 0.7-2.9%) over the study period. Monthly and yearly variation in autopsies was mostly minor and irregular; statistically significant differences were only observed between January and September as well as January and November (p < 0.05). As such, there appears to be little seasonal variation in medico-legal autopsies in Finland. A mild declining trend in the number of autopsies was observed. Future studies are invited to explore patterns of seasonality in other medico-legal systems, for example in those with generally lower autopsy rates than in Finland.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Petteri Oura
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 21 (Haartmaninkatu 3), Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland.
- Forensic Medicine Unit, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, P.O. Box 30 (Mannerheimintie 166), FI-00271, Helsinki, Finland.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lo CH, Liao CH, Tan ST, Su YJ. Differences of chronological seasonality in drug overdose. J Int Med Res 2023; 51:3000605231192779. [PMID: 37632450 PMCID: PMC10926412 DOI: 10.1177/03000605231192779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between seasonality and intentional drug overdose (IDO), a commonly seen method of self-harm in daily emergency medicine practice. METHODS Cases of IDO were retrospectively selected using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 coding system (codes T36-T50), in patients who attended the Emergency Department of MacKay Memorial Hospital between January 2018 and August 2019. Data regarding age, sex, arrival time, marital status, vital signs, comorbidities, psychiatric history, social conflicts, substance of overdose, and length of hospital stay by season, were analysed using Student's t-test and χ2-test. RESULTS Of all included cases (n = 196), IDO occurred most frequently in spring (32.1%), particularly in male patients (28/49 male cases). First-time IDO occurred most frequently in spring (51/133 first-time cases) and most spring cases were first-time IDO (51/63 spring cases). Repeat IDO occurred most frequently in autumn (20/63 repeat cases). Female conflict with father and/or boyfriend, and personality disorder in patients who overdosed, showed seasonality with a spring peak. Hospital admission rate was highest in winter (10/45 winter cases [22.2%]). CONCLUSION Episodes of IDO exhibited seasonality, with a spring peak, particularly for male patients, female patients in conflict with father and/or boyfriend, and those with personality disorder. Clinicians should pay close attention to the abovementioned patient groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Hung Lo
- Emergency Department, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Hao Liao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Tamshui Branch, Mackay Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Teck Tan
- Emergency Department, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Toxicology Division, Emergency Department, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Jang Su
- Emergency Department, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Toxicology Division, Emergency Department, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, New Taipei City, Taiwan
- Department of Nursing, MacKay Junior College of Medicine, Nursing and Management, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Park JH, Seo YW, Chae S. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescent Self-Harm: Based on a National Emergency Department Information System. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4666. [PMID: 36901676 PMCID: PMC10001448 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Republic of Korea's suicide rate is the highest among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. In Republic of Korea, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 10-19 years. This study aimed to identify changes in patients aged 10-19 years who visited the emergency department in Republic of Korea after inflicting self-harm over the past five years and to compare the situations before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysis of government data revealed that the average daily visits per 100,000 were 6.25, 8.18, 13.26, 15.31, and 15.71 from 2016 to 2020, respectively. The study formed four groups for further analysis, with the population divided by sex and age (10-14 and 15-19 years old). The late-teenage female group showed the sharpest increase and was the only group that continued to increase. A comparison of the figures 10 months before and after the outbreak of the pandemic revealed a statistically significant increase in self-harm attempts by only the late-teenage female group. Meanwhile, visits (per day) in the male group did not increase, but the rates of death and ICU admission increased. Additional studies and preparations that account for age and sex are warranted.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ju-Hyeon Park
- Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Woo Seo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| | - Seungbum Chae
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu 42472, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Suicide Attempts and Suicides as a Result of Poisoning and under the Influence of Xenobiotics in Poland in 1999-2020. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19042343. [PMID: 35206532 PMCID: PMC8872402 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The most common method of suicide in Poland is hanging, especially among men. However, women tend to overdose on medications to commit suicide. Considering suicide attempts, poisoning, which involves overdosing various substances, is the most commonly used method. The purpose of the present study was to analyze suicide attempts by intoxication, suicides, and substances that influenced the state of consciousness of suicide victims in Poland in the years covered by the study. METHODS A descriptive analysis was made based on the data obtained from the registers of the General Police Headquarters of Poland and the Statistics Poland for the years 1999-2020. RESULTS During the 21-year study period, 161,655 cases of suicide attempts were recorded in Poland, 106,169 of which resulted in suicides. Results showed that out of 14,660 self-poisoning suicide attempts, there were 2258 cases of suicide poisoning deaths in the analyzed study period. According to the data of the General Police Headquarters of Poland, the total number of suicides of all causes was 106,169. Self-poisoning suicides accounted for 2.1% of all cases of suicides. CONCLUSION Due to the distribution of suicide registration systems in Poland, data available in this area should be interpreted with caution.
Collapse
|
5
|
Kim D, Jung W, Nam S, Jeon H, Baek J, Zhu Y. Understanding information behavior of South Korean Twitter users who express suicidality on Twitter. Digit Health 2022; 8:20552076221086339. [PMID: 35340901 PMCID: PMC8943454 DOI: 10.1177/20552076221086339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Although there were few studies on how suicidal users behave on Twitter, they
only investigated partial aspects such as tweeting frequency and tweet
length. Therefore, we aim to understand the various information behavior of
suicidal users in South Korea. Methods To achieve this goal, we annotated 20,000 tweets and identified 1097 tweets
with the expression of suicidality (i.e. suicidal tweets) and 229 suicidal
users (i.e. experimental group). Using the data, a user profile analysis,
comparative analysis with control group, and tweets/hashtags analysis were
performed. Results Our results show that many suicidal users used suicide-related keywords in
their user IDs, usernames, descriptions, and pinned tweets. We also found
that, compared to the control group, the experimental group show different
patterns of information behavior. The experimental group did not frequently
use Twitter and, on average, wrote longer texts than the control group. A
clear seasonal pattern was also identified in the experimental group's
tweeting behavior. Frequently used keywords/hashtags were extracted from
tweets written by the experimental group for the purpose of understanding
their concerns and detecting more suicidal tweets. Conclusions We believe that our study will help in the understanding of suicidal users’
information behavior on social media and lay the basis for more accurate
actions for suicide prevention and early intervention on social media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Donghun Kim
- Department of Library and Information Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Woojin Jung
- Department of Library and Information Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seojin Nam
- Department of Library and Information Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hongjin Jeon
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyun Baek
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongjun Zhu
- Department of Library and Information Science, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lasota D, Mirowska-Guzel D, Goniewicz K. Analysis of Suicide Methods and Substances Influencing the State of Consciousness of Their Victims in Poland. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:4936. [PMID: 34066358 PMCID: PMC8124387 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18094936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
An integral part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) mental health action plan for 2013-2020 is suicide prevention, and a 10% reduction in the suicide rate. A key element of the preventive measures taken is, among other things, limiting access to means enabling and facilitating committing suicide. However, this requires detailed knowledge of community suicide patterns and preferences. Unfortunately, such information is not usually collected, and the recorded method of committing suicide is often imprecise and untrue, which means that such knowledge has limited application in presuicidal prophylaxis. The statistical data on suicides recorded as part of the Police Statistics in Poland during the years 2009-2019 was analyzed. The analysis included suicide deaths and suicide attempts, taking into account the suicide methods and substances influencing the state of consciousness of their victims. The number of suicides in Poland in the analyzed period tended to increase. The most common method of suicide was hanging, and alcohol was the substance influencing the state of consciousness of suicide victims. The statistics for 2017-2019 showed the presence of new methods of suicide, such as taking drugs other than hypnotics, intoxication with narcotic drugs, poisoning with designer drugs, suffocation and self-immolation, as well as new psychoactive substances affecting the state of consciousness of victims, i.e., drugs and narcotic drugs. The effectiveness of actions taken in Poland in the field of suicide prevention does not bring the desired effects, as evidenced by growing number of suicides. This low effectiveness is mainly due to the lack of a national suicide prevention strategy. The effectiveness of these activities may be improved by creating a uniform database of suicides, which is a source of reliable information which will allow the taking of actions aimed at limiting the availability of means enabling and facilitating the committing of suicide. The study aimed to analyze the types of suicide methods and substances influencing the state of consciousness of their victims in Poland in the years covered by the study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Lasota
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02097 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02097 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Krzysztof Goniewicz
- Department of Aviation Security, Military University of Aviation, 08521 Dęblin, Poland;
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Lasota D, Pawłowski W, Krajewski P, Staniszewska A, Goniewicz K, Czerski R, Goniewicz M. Alcohol Intoxication and Suicide by Hanging in Poland. Alcohol Alcohol 2021; 55:278-283. [PMID: 32090236 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agaa013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS An integral part of the World Health Organization (WHO) plan to reduce suicide by 10% by 2020 is to identify areas and demographic groups, which should be priority target groups for preventive activities. This study aimed to present the demographic differences between victims of suicide by hanging in the Warsaw metropolitan area, in Poland, by examining the sobriety of victims. METHODS Data for analysis were obtained from the documentation of the Department of Forensic Medicine (DFM) at the Medical University of Warsaw (MUW). The retrospective analysis included 358 out of 466 victims of suicides by hanging in the Warsaw metropolitan area, in Poland, recorded in the DFM documentation covering 2011-2013. The data gathered included age, gender, the cause of death, a post-mortem examination as well as the level of ethanol in the blood and muscles of victims. RESULTS In both groups, men accounted for a larger percentage of victims than women, P = 0.068. In the no-alcohol group, the victims were older than in the alcohol group (47.52 ± 19.21 vs. 40.88 ± 12.77) (P < 0.001). The majority of the studied population were victims aged 25-34 (22.90%), mainly men (20.95%). Young men were also the largest group among victims in the alcohol group (28.33%). The most numerous age group among no-alcohol group were older victims aged 55-64 (19.10%), especially men (16.29%). CONCLUSION Regardless of sobriety, men were the largest group of suicide victims in the study population, which means that men die suicide more often than women. Differences in gender proportions are related to age. In the studied population, it was primarily young victims, mainly men. These are the groups that should be priority target groups for preventive activities aimed at reducing the number of suicides. The presence of ethanol in more than half of the victims of suicide in the study population indicates that alcohol is an important suicidal risk factor.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Lasota
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b Street, 02097 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Witold Pawłowski
- Department of Disaster Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Żwirki i Wigury 61 Street, 02091 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Paweł Krajewski
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Oczki 1 Street, 00001 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Staniszewska
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b Street, 02097 Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Robert Czerski
- Polish Air Force Academy, Dywizjonu 303 35 Street, 08521 Dęblin, Poland
| | - Mariusz Goniewicz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, Staszica 4-6 Street, 20081 Lublin, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Lasota D, Al-Wathinani A, Krajewski P, Mirowska-Guzel D, Goniewicz K, Hertelendy AJ, Alhazmi RA, Pawłowski W, Khorram-Manesh A, Goniewicz M. Alcohol and the Risk of Railway Suicide. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:E7003. [PMID: 32987939 PMCID: PMC7578964 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Suicide is one of the ten most common causes of death in the world. Of all deaths from suicide, 22% can be attributed to the use of alcohol, which means that every fifth suicide would not occur if alcohol were not consumed by the population. People under the influence of alcohol choose more radical and effective methods of dying by suicide, e.g., throwing themselves under a moving vehicle, such as a train. The presented analysis aimed to determine important risk factors affecting railway suicide in Poland and their relation to the state of alcohol intoxication of the victims, and the relationship between ethyl alcohol consumption and the phenomenon of suicide. Documentation obtained from the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Medical University of Warsaw, in the form of death registers and forensic medical records concerning examination and autopsy, was analyzed. This made it possible to identify suicide victims from among pedestrian victims of railway accidents recorded during the period under study. The research was carried out using unidimensional and multidimensional statistical analyses with IBM SPSS Statistics, version 25. Sober suicide victims were statistically significantly older than victims under the influence of alcohol; alcohol concentration was correlated with the age of the victims-the older the victims were, the higher the alcohol concentration. A significantly higher number of deaths attributed to suicide by sober victims was observed in autumn compared to other seasons. Multidimensional analysis showed a statistically significant effect of age and season on the probability of dying by suicide under the influence of alcohol-this probability decreases with the age of the victims and is also significantly lower in autumn. The observed relationship between age and the presence of alcohol in suicide victims can be the cause of railway suicides. Knowledge of the mechanisms of seasonal variability of suicidal behavior can help to develop effective strategies to prevent railway suicides. It is necessary to improve the system of reporting railway suicides, as only reliable statistics provide the possibility of assessing both the scale of the problem and the effectiveness of actions taken.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Lasota
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b Street, 02097 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Ahmed Al-Wathinani
- Department of Emergency Medical Services, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.-W.); (R.A.A.)
| | - Paweł Krajewski
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 50368 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Dagmara Mirowska-Guzel
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Banacha 1b Street, 02097 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Krzysztof Goniewicz
- Department of Aviation Security, Military University of Aviation, 08521 Dęblin, Poland;
| | - Attila J. Hertelendy
- Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, College of Business, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA;
| | - Riyadh A. Alhazmi
- Department of Emergency Medical Services, Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz College for Emergency Medical Services, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.A.-W.); (R.A.A.)
| | - Witold Pawłowski
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20081 Lublin, Poland; (W.P.); (M.G.)
| | - Amir Khorram-Manesh
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, 41345 Gothenburg, Sweden;
- Department of Development and Research, Armed Forces Center for Defense Medicine, Västra Frölunda, 42676 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mariusz Goniewicz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Lublin, 20081 Lublin, Poland; (W.P.); (M.G.)
| |
Collapse
|