Suicidal Deaths Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Autopsy-Based Study

Authors

  • Tanmay Sardar
  • Ranjan Biswas
  • Achintya Biswas
  • Saptarshi Chatterjee

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v15i4.17112

Keywords:

Coronavirus, Mental illness, Pandemic, Suicide, Domestic violence

Abstract

Background: Suicide is a global issue, with an estimated 75.5% of the cases occurring in developing
countries, and India alone accounting for 26.6% of all global suicidal deaths. With an advent of COVID-19
in the early months of 2020, India observed a rapid rise in suicidal deaths. Though, various media reports
predicted loneliness, mental illness and economical instabilities as the major triggering factors, there is
a lack of analytical or descriptive studies confirming this hypothesis. In this context, the present crosssectional
study was planned to determine the socio-demographic profiles of the victims and the triggering
factors of the suicidal deaths during the COVID-19 phase, in context to the victims of suicide from 2017 to
the Pre-COVID phase.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted by analyzing the suicidal deaths from 2017 to
30th June, 2020, interviewing the deceased family members during the COVID-19 phase and studying the
Inquest reports, with the documents from the Institutional Medical Record Section.
Conclusion: The authors feel that suicide is an act of moment in mind, so any decision made under excitement
or incitement is the real culprit. To curb the menace of suicide, state and society should ensure education,
employment and socioeconomic well-being, along with strict law enforcement.

Author Biographies

  • Tanmay Sardar

    Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Bankura, West Bengal

  • Ranjan Biswas

    Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Bankura, West Bengal

  • Achintya Biswas

    Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Calcutta National Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal

  • Saptarshi Chatterjee

    Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Bankura Sammilani Medical College, Bankura, West Bengal

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Published

2021-08-16

How to Cite

Suicidal Deaths Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Autopsy-Based Study. (2021). Indian Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, 15(4), 2696-2704. https://doi.org/10.37506/ijfmt.v15i4.17112