Suicide by hanging: Results from a national survey in Switzerland and its implications for suicide prevention

English version

Autoři: Thomas Reisch ^aff001; Chantal Hartmann ^aff001; Alexander Hemmer ^aff001; Christine Bartsch ^aff003
Působiště autorů: Hospital of Psychiatry Muensingen, Department of Psychiatry, Muensingen, Switzerland ^aff001; Hospital of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland ^aff002; Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Association, Department of Infrastructure/Administration / Operations and Research Platforms, Bremerhaven, Germany ^aff003
Vyšlo v časopise: PLoS ONE 14(9)
Kategorie: Research Article
prolekare.web.journal.doi_sk: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220508

Souhrn

Background

Hanging is a frequent suicide method, but developing measures to prevent suicide by this method is particularly challenging. The aim of this study is to gain new knowledge that would enable the design of effective of measures that would help prevent suicide by hanging.

Methods

A total of 6,497 suicides registered across the eight Swiss Forensic Institutes (IRM) were analysed. Of these, 1,282 (19.7%) persons hung themselves. T-test and chi-square tests. and chi-square tests were used to analyse …(or determine, or investigate) …group differences regarding sociodemographic variables and triggers

Findings

Men and women who hung themselves showed no significant differences in sociodemographic variables. However, women were significantly more likely to have a psychiatric illness history, whereas men were more likely to have somatic diagnoses. In controlled environments, people used shelves, plumbing and windows more often than beams, pipes, bars and hooks to hang themselves. Compared with other suicide methods, hanging was more likely to have been triggered by partner and financial problems.

Conclusions

Suicide by hanging can be best prevented in institutions (e.g. psychiatric hospitals, somatic hospitals, prisons). These institutions should be structurally evaluated and modified with a primary focus on sanitary areas, windows and shelves. Otherwise, it is important to use general suicide prevention measures, such as awareness raising and staff training in medical settings, low-threshold treatment options and regular suicide risk assessment for people at risk.

Klíčová slova:

Engineering and technology – Social sciences – People and places – Geographical locations – Europe – Medicine and health sciences – Health care – Patients – Economics – Public and occupational health – Equipment – Finance – Mental health and psychiatry – Law and legal sciences – Criminal justice system – Prisons – Outpatients – Epidemiology – Medical risk factors – Inpatients – Traumatic injury risk factors – Substance-related disorders – Suicide – Intoxication – Weapons – Firearms – Switzerland

Zdroje

1. Gunnell D, Bennewith O, Hawton K, Simkin S, Kapur N. The epidemiology and prevention of suicide by hanging: a systematic review. Int J Epidemiol. 2005;34(2):433–42. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyh398 15659471.

2. Obsan [Suisse Health Observatory] (n. d.). Suizid [suicide]. Retrieved October 18 2018, from https://www.obsan.admin.ch/de/indikatoren/suizid.

3. Baker SP, Hu G, Wilcox HC, Baker TD. Increase in suicide by hanging / suffocation in the US, 2000–2010. Am J Prev Med. 2013;44(2):146–9. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.10.010 23332330.

4. Russo MC, Verzeletti A, Piras M, De Ferrari F. Hanging Deaths: A Retrospective Study Regarding 260 Cases. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2016;37(3):141–5. doi: 10.1097/PAF.0000000000000239 27281442.

5. Wilkinson D, Gunnell D. Comparison of trends in method-specific suicide rates in Australia and England & Wales, 1968–97. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2000 Apr;24(2):153–7. 10790934

6. Starkuviene S, Kalediene R, Petrauskiene J. Epidemic of suicide by hanging in Lithuania: does socio-demographic status matter? Public Health. 2006;120(8):769–75. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2006.04.009 16828493.

7. Monsef Kasmaee V, Zohrevandi B, Asadi P, Shakouri N. Non-judicial hanging in Guilan Province, Iran between 2011 and 2013. Emerg. 2015;3(4):155–8. 26495406.

8. Kosky RJ, Dundas P. Death by hanging: implications for prevention of an important method of youth suicide. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2000;34(5):836–41. doi: 10.1080/j.1440-1614.2000.00807.x 11037371.

9. Vijayakumari N. Suicidal hanging: a prospective study. J Indian Academy Forensic Med. 2011;33:355–357.

10. Bastia BK, Kar N. A psychological autopsy study of suicidal hanging from Cuttack, India: focus on stressful life situations. Arch Suicide Res. 2009;13(1):100–4. doi: 10.1080/13811110802572221 19123113.

11. Kurtulus A, Nilufer Yonguc G, Boz B, Acar K. Anatomopathological findings in hangings: a retrospective autopsy study. Med Sci Law. 2013;53(2):80–4. doi: 10.1258/msl.2012.012030 23275431.

12. Kanamüller J, Riipinen P, Riala K, Paloneva E, Hakko H. Hanging suicides in northern Finland: a descriptive epidemiological study. Death Stud. 2016;40(4):205–10. doi: 10.1080/07481187.2015.1117537 26681439.

13. Kanchan T, Menezes RG. Suicidal hanging in Manipal, South India—victim profile and gender differences. J Forensic Leg Med. 2008;15(8):493–6. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2008.05.004 18926500.

14. De Leo D, Evans R, Neulinger K. Hanging, firearm, and non—domestic gas suicides among males: a comparative study. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2002;36(2):183–9. doi: 10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.01013.x 11982538

15. Cantor CH, Baume PJ. Access to methods of suicide: what impact? Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1998;32(1):8–14. doi: 10.3109/00048679809062700 9565178.

16. Bhosle SH, Zanjad NP, Dake MD, Godbole HV. Deaths due to hanging among adolescents—a 10-year retrospective study. J Forensic Leg Med. 2015;29:30–3. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2014.11.003 25572082.

17. Bennewith O, Gunnell D, Kapur N, Turnbull P, Simkin S, Sutton L, et al. Suicide by hanging: multicentre study based on coroners' records in England. Br J Psychiatry. 2005;186:260–1. doi: 10.1192/bjp.186.3.260 15738509.

18. Biddle L, Donovan J, Owen-Smith A, Potokar J, Longson D, Hawton K. et al. Factors influencing the decision to use as a method of suicide: qualitative study. Br J Psych. 2010;197(4):320–5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.076349 20884956.

19. Abd-Elwahab Hassan D, Ghaleb SS, Kotb H., Agamy M, Kharoshah M. Suicidal hanging in Kuwait: retrospective analysis of cases from 2010 to 2012. J Forensic Leg Med. 2013;20 (8):1118–21. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2013.09.021 24237833.

20. Azmak D. Asphyxial deaths: a retrospective study and review of the literature. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2006;27(2):134–44. doi: 10.1097/01.paf.0000221082.72186.2e 16738432.

21. Hunt IM, Windfuhr K, Shaw J, Appleby L, Kapur N. National confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide. Ligature points and ligature types used by psychiatric inpatients who die by hanging: a national study. Crisis. 2012;33(2):87–94. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000117 22343063.

22. Suárez-Peñaranda JM, Álvarez T, Miguéns X, Rodriguez-Calvo MS, De Abajo BL, Cortesão M, et al. Characterization of lesions in hanging deaths. J Forensic Sci. 2008;53(3):720–3. doi: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2008.00700.x 18471222.

23. Hernández-Alvarado MM, González-Castro TB, Tovilla-Zárate CA, Fresán A, Juárez-Rojop IE, López-Narváez ML, et al. Increase in suicide council by hanging in the population of Tabasco, Mexico between 2003 and 2012. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2016, 13(6):552.

24. Habenstein A, Steffen T, Bartsch C, Michaud K, Reisch T. Chances and limits of method restriction: a detailed analysis of suicide methods in Switzerland. Arch Suicide Res. 2013;17(1):75–87. doi: 10.1080/13811118.2013.748418 23387405.

25. Joo SH, Wang SM, Kim TW, Seo HJ, Jeong JH, Han JH, et al. Factors associated with suicide completion: a comparison between suicide attempters and completers. Asia Pac Psychiatry. 2016;8(1):80–6. doi: 10.1111/appy.12216 26477349.

26. De Leo D, Dwyer J, Firman D, Neulinger K. Trends in hanging and firearm suicide rates in Australia: substitution of method? Suicide Life-Threat Behav. 2003;33(2):151–64. 12882416.

27. Sarchiapone M, Mandelli L, Iosue M, Andrisano C, Roy A. Controlling access to suicide means. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2011;8(12):4550–62. 22408588.

28. SNSF [Swiss National Science Foundation]. Suicide in Switzerland: A detailed national survey of the years 2000 to 2010. Retrieved December 12 2018, from http://p3.snf.ch/project-133070.

29. Thoeni N, Reisch T, Hemmer A, Bartsch C. Suicide by firearm in Switzerland: who uses the army weapon? Results from the national survey between 2000 and 2010. Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14646. 30378640.

30. Ruff F, Bartsch C, Glasow N, Reisch T. [Article in German; Abstract available in German from the publisher] [Suicides of psychiatric inpatients - a systematic recording in Switzerland of the years 2000 to 2010]. Psychiatr Prax. 2018;45(6):307–313. 29665611.

31. Gauthier S, Reisch T, Bartsch C. Swiss prison suicides between 2000 and 2010. Crisis. 2015; 36(2):110–116. 25708254.

32. Glasow N. Structural suicide prevention in inpatient psychiatric facilities. 2011. Berlin: Logos.

33. Wu CY, Lin YY, Yeh MC, Huang LH, Chen SJ, Liao SC, Lee MB. Effectiveness of interactive discussion group in suicide risk assessment among general nurses in Taiwan: a randomized controlled trial. Nurse Educ Today. 2014, 34(11):1388–1394.