Citation

Botham AD. J. Forensic Sci. 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

San Mateo County Coroner's Office, 50 Tower Road, San Mateo, CA, 94402.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1556-4029.14090

PMID

31157918

Abstract

Forensic suicidology is a growing discipline as the world struggles to reduce escalating suicide rates. Most research focuses on trends and risks, but no study examines the relationship between cultural identity and suicide modality as a means of understanding hyper-local risk factors. This study cross-referenced race and suicide method for 720 coroner decedents. More than half (58%) of Asian suicides are asphyxial, while 20% are firearm-related. Comparatively, 26% of White suicides are asphyxial; 35% are firearm-related. Males outnumber females at greater than 2:1 in every racial category except Asian. While the study demographic is unique, many trends confirm conventional suicide wisdom. The finding of male predominance in the White and Hispanic groups confirms long-standing clinical knowledge regarding sex-related risk for suicide. Understanding patterns unique to a locality can leverage policy and practices that reduce access to suicide means, aiding preventative efforts, and benefitting the growing field of death investigation.

© 2019 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Language: en

Keywords

asphyxia; epidemiology; forensic science; lethality; medicolegal; risk factors; suicide; suicide prevention