"Psychological autopsy" in case of suicide: the history of the question and the current state

The article presents the formation of "psychological autopsy" - a method of retrospective studying of the mental state of a suicidal person before suicide and the factors that influenced the decision on suicide. Early works are analyzed, as well as modern researches. The definition of psychological autopsy according to E. Shneidman is given, as well as his approach to the targeted use of the results of postmortem investigation of the suicidal state. The main results of research on the state of suicides, carried out with the help of psychological autopsy, are outlined, with attention to sociocultural specifics. The problem of the role of clinical diagnosis in postmortem analysis of factors of suicidal behavior is discussed. The importance of taking psychosocial factors into account and analyzing the interaction between mental disorder, social disadvantage and social isolation is emphasized. Attention is paid to the possibilities of applying the method to a youth sample, taking into account the necessity for interviewing parents, assessing the quality of information received from them, and the possibilities of applying not only a survey, but also a screening method in the form of a semi-structured interview...