@article{ref1,
title="Suicide by hanging under the influence of ketamine and ethanol",
journal="Forensic science international",
year="2010",
author="Dinis-Oliveira, Ricardo Jorge and Carvalho, Felix and Duarte, Jose Alberto and Dias, Ricardo and Magalhães, Teresa and Santos, Agostinho",
volume="202",
number="1-3",
pages="e23-7",
abstract="Psychiatric deviations resulting from alcohol and illegal drug abuse may be considered a major risk factor for suicidal behavior. This report describes a suicide by hanging, under the influence of ketamine and alcohol. The victim was a 29-year-old man, found dead hanging by the neck from a metallic beam in the ceiling of his workplace. Besides characteristic signs of hanging seen at the autopsy, toxicological analysis revealed a femoral blood concentration of ketamine and ethanol of 1.3mg/L and 0.66g/L, respectively. Positive qualitative results for ketamine were also detected, in a powder found near the victim and on the victim's nostrils, which suggests nasal inhaling as administration route. The hallucinogenic effects caused by ketamine, associated with an increased sensitivity of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors to ketamine as result of the previous history of alcoholism should be considered as potential inducing factors in suicide behaviors.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0379-0738",
doi="10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.04.047",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2010.04.047"
}