Clinicopathologic features of fatal self-inflicted incised and stab wounds: a 20-year study
- PMID: 11953487
- DOI: 10.1097/00000433-200203000-00003
Clinicopathologic features of fatal self-inflicted incised and stab wounds: a 20-year study
Abstract
The files of the Forensic Science Center in Adelaide, South Australia, were examined for all cases listed as suicide in which death had been caused by the use of a sharp instrument during the 20-year period from January 1981 to December 2000. Fifty-one cases were identified, consisting of 35 men and 16 women. The age range was 23 to 83 years (mean 49 years) representing 1.6% of total suicides (513182). Fatal injuries included incised wounds to the arms in 51.4% of men (n = 1835) compared with 87.5% of women (n = 1416), incised and stab wounds to the neck in 40% of men (n = 1435) and 25% of women (n = 416), and stab wounds to the chest or abdomen in 28.6% of men (n = 1035) and 12.5% of women (n = 216). In 8 cases, multiple sites were involved. The use of sharp instruments in suicide was favored by older, rather than younger, individuals, with a tendency for women to incise their wrists. Hesitation marks were present in 23 cases (54%) and scarring of the wrists from previous suicide attempts in 5 cases. Although this study demonstrated a higher number of men than women committing suicide by using sharp objects, this method of suicide remains uncommon.
Similar articles
-
[Chest stab wound comparison in suicidal and homicidal cases].Arch Med Sadowej Kryminol. 2003 Apr-Jun;53(2):117-28. Arch Med Sadowej Kryminol. 2003. PMID: 14669648 Polish.
-
Deaths due to sharp force injuries in Bexar County, Texas, with respect to manner of death.Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2013 Sep;34(3):253-9. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0b013e31828ced68. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2013. PMID: 23629405
-
Single stab injuries.Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2018 Sep;14(3):295-300. doi: 10.1007/s12024-018-9982-x. Epub 2018 May 1. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2018. PMID: 29713941
-
Differentiating suicide from homicide in sharp-force fatalities with stab and/or incised wounds: A scoping review.Leg Med (Tokyo). 2024 Mar;67:102388. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102388. Epub 2023 Dec 28. Leg Med (Tokyo). 2024. PMID: 38219705 Review.
-
Abdominal self-stabbing: A case report.Med Leg J. 2017 Jun;85(2):97-99. doi: 10.1177/0025817216683583. Epub 2016 Dec 9. Med Leg J. 2017. PMID: 27940655 Review.
Cited by
-
The Noble Suicide: The Case of a Self-Contained Dagger in the Heart and a Literal Raw.Case Rep Psychiatry. 2024 Mar 19;2024:3017903. doi: 10.1155/2024/3017903. eCollection 2024. Case Rep Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 38533306 Free PMC article.
-
Self-inflicted penetrating chest trauma from solar powered garden light: a case report.J Surg Case Rep. 2021 Aug 9;2021(8):rjab320. doi: 10.1093/jscr/rjab320. eCollection 2021 Aug. J Surg Case Rep. 2021. PMID: 34381588 Free PMC article.
-
Abdominal Self-Stabbing: An Uncommon Type of Sharp Abdominal Trauma.Case Rep Emerg Med. 2021 Jul 21;2021:9917040. doi: 10.1155/2021/9917040. eCollection 2021. Case Rep Emerg Med. 2021. PMID: 34336309 Free PMC article.
-
"Defense" type wounds in suicide.Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2018 Sep;14(3):402-405. doi: 10.1007/s12024-018-9957-y. Epub 2018 Feb 17. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2018. PMID: 29455415
-
Forensic issues in cases of fatal hemorrhage from arteriovenous dialysis access sites.Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2007 Jun;3(2):128-32. doi: 10.1007/s12024-007-0003-8. Epub 2007 Jul 10. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2007. PMID: 25869045
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical