Журнал судебной токсикологии и фармакологии

Investigation of Cholesterol Level and Body Mass Index of Completed Suicide Victims

Şafak Taktak, Ayla ?nsal, Mustafa Karaku? and Sevil Bi?er

Investigation of Cholesterol Level and Body Mass Index of Completed Suicide Victims

The aim of this study was to investigate the cholesterol level and Body Mass Index (BMI) of completed suicide victims. Ninety cases that were consecutively referred to the Forensic Medicine Institute Morgue Department were included in the study based on evaluations of death examinations and autopsies based on psychological autopsies. Information was obtained from court documents and interviews with the suicide victims’ relatives. Blood samples of the individuals were examined within 48 hours. The data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests and Pearson Correlation. Most of the victims were male (68.9%) and the most frequent suicide method was hanging (61.1%). It was determined that in 86.7% of the cases the victims had attempted suicide for the first time resulting in completed suicide.