Citation

Clerici CA, Gentile G, Marchesi M, Muccino E, Veneroni L, Zoja R. J. Forensic Leg. Med. 2015; 37: 15-21.

Affiliation

Sezione di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche per la Salute, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Luigi Mangiagalli 37, 20133 Milano, Italy. Electronic address: riccardo.zoia@unimi.it.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jflm.2015.09.016

PMID

26519925

Abstract

AIM: to analyze the cases of suicide committed by adolescents in and around the city of Milan over a 20-year period (1993-2012).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: cases of suicide involving individuals between 10 and 19 years of age were drawn from 20,757 autopsies performed by the Medico-legal Unit at Milan University. Seventy-eight cases were considered (20 females and 58 males, with the ratio of 1:2.9), and their clinical and circumstantial histories, epidemiology, forensic pathology and psychopathological issues were analyzed.

RESULT: Adolescents were involved in 2.23% of all suicides committed in Milan during the period examined. The "mean" victim is a male without psychiatric disease, aged between 16 and 19, that commits suicide outdoors.

CONCLUSIONS: In the majority of cases, there were no premonitory signs, nor any particular contingent or remote reason that might explain these violent deaths, which therefore remain "impulsive".

Language: en