Retrospective evaluation of poisoning cases admitted to niğde ömer halisdemir university training and research hospital due to suicide attempt

Introduction and Aim: Suicide is a deliberate action to end one's life, which has resulted in success in terms of achieving the goal. The failure of the action in question is called suicide attempt. According to WHO data, suicide cases account for 2% of all deaths and more than 1 million people die by suicide every year in the world. In this respect, suicide is a serious public health problem with a forensic dimension. In this study, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate the relationships between suicide attempts by intoxication and sociodemographic characteristics and forensic-medical conditions and to contribute to the literature. Materials and Methods: In our study, 214 poisoning cases admitted to Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University Training and Research Hospital due to suicide attempt between 01/01/2019 and 30/06/2023 were included in the study. In the following period, the characteristics of 214 poisoning cases in which a definitive report was issued by our department of forensic medicine were retrospectively analysed. Results: 157 cases (73.4%) were of female gender. 57 cases (26.6%) were male. The mean age of the cases was 26.7 ± 12.4 years. 61 (28.5%) of our cases were paediatric cases. 116 (54.2%) of our cases were single. 20 cases (9.3%) were separated from their spouses or their spouses were deceased. When evaluated according to educational status, we found that only 8 of our cases were university graduates. The most common drugs used in suicide attempts were NSAID group and antidepressant drugs. Anxiety disorder was the most common psychiatric disorder in our cases. General forensic examination reports prepared by the emergency physician for intoxication cases admitted to the emergency department of our hospital due to suicide attempt were analysed. In 43 cases (20.1%), the decision was made that the poisoning did not cause a life-threatening situation, and in 142 cases (66.4%), the decision was made that a life-threatening situation was present. In 29 cases (13.6%), it was determined that no opinion was given as to whether the person was in danger of life or not. Conclusion: We think that suicide attempts are associated with many variables such as medical history and demographic characteristics. Therefore, suicidal poisoning attempts should be evaluated in a multidimensional way, especially in social, medical and forensic dimensions. We believe that physicians frequently use positive defensive medicine and negative defensive medicine practices in poisoning cases. Apart from the medical aspect of poisoning cases, it should not be forgotten that all poisoning cases are forensic cases. Therefore, these cases should be evaluated as a whole. We believe that our physicians working especially in emergency services do not have sufficient knowledge on forensic medical issues. We think that these deficiencies can be overcome with post-graduation trainings and strengthening communication between branches. Keywords: suicide, forensic report, intoxication, forensic medicine, emergency department.