A study of completed suicide among women in the reproductive age group from coastal Karnataka

Introduction: Though in absolute numbers more men commit suicide than women, there are various complexities associated with female suicides. The studies on suicides among women based on whether or not they are in the reproductive age group may lead to greater understanding of specific factors attributable to this particular sub-population of women. Materials and Methods: Women in the reproductive age group who died as a result of fatal deliberate self-harm were autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal during January 2010 and September 2011. Results: 44 women suicides were included. Thirty-one of the victims (70%) were aged above 19 years (adults) and 13 (30%) were adolescents. In 11 cases (25%) the motive was either not mentioned or could not be ascertained. Out of the remaining 33 victims, the most common reason for committing suicide was health related issues (n=16). Among the suicide methods, poisoning was the most common, seen in 28 of the victims (64%). In 41 cases (93%) the place of occurrence of the incident was indoors. Thirty of the victims (68%) were hospitalised after the suicide attempt. Conclusion:It is recommended that psychiatric assessment should be considered for women with chronic and vague symptoms of ill health not responding to treatment, as a possible manifestation of the underlying psychiatric disease, which then turns into the primary motive for suicide for women in the reproductive age group.