Self-cuts of dead by suicide: main and associated characteristics

The article presents post mortem analysis of self-cuts made by 271 people who died from suicide (235 men and 36 women aged 11 to 91, M : F ratio 6.5 : 1). It is shown that acute wounds and traces of selfcutting, with the exception of fatal stab wounds as the main method of suicide, are recorded in 9.9% of the dead, with a minimal difference in men and women 9.8% and 11.1% respectively. In 5.5%, these are acute wounds as an additional traumatic element inflicted during the implementation of a suicidal act, in 4.4% there are scars from previous self-harm. These groups are clearly separated, the combination of acute wounds and scars occurs only in isolated cases, which indicates two different behavioral algorithms. The main area of damage is the forearms (100%), the abdomen, lower limbs, chest and neck are much less often damaged. In most cases (88.9%), wounds and scars are multiple in nature; every second (51.9%) of the deceased has them located on both sides of the body. Alcohol in the blood is detected in 55.6% of suicide at-tempters with traces of self-harm, slightly higher than in the group of persons without additional wounds (46.3%), which will allow it to be considered as a universal and common risk factor for both groups. Most people with acute and cicatricial wounds choose another way to commit suicide, different from self-inflicted stab wounds, but with a high degree of lethality. The authors conclude that the data obtained during the study indicate an important practical conclusion a more careful examination of patients by a doctor of any specialty, active identification of traces of selfharm, suicidal behavior and the study of suicidal anamnesis are significant elements of suicide prevention as they allow to identify a risk group and refer the person to a mental health professional in a timely manner. The proposed direction of research allows to obtain significant data for clinical suicidology, forensic medicine, forensic science and other disciplines, which indicates the importance of continuing work.