NCJ Number
236883
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2011 Pages: 1528-1530
Date Published
November 2011
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Retrospective review of hanging suicides in individuals aged less than or equal to 17 years was undertaken at Forensic Science South Australia, Australia, over two 5-year periods: 1995-1999 and 2005-2009.
Abstract
Seven cases of hanging suicides were identified from 1995 to 1999, with a further 14 cases from 2005 to 2009, an increase of 100 percent (p less than 0.001). Hanging accounted for 33.3 percent of all suicides in this age group (7/21) from 1995 to 1999, compared with 93.3 percent of the total number of suicides (14/15) in the second 5-year period. In contrast, Australian national data from 1998 and 2008 showed a 30-percent decrease in hanging suicides in the young, from one case/100,000 population in 1998 to 0.7 in 2008. Cluster suicides occur in the young and are often initiated by direct communication. As it is possible that Internet-based social sites may facilitate this phenomenon, investigations should include an evaluation of the victim's Internet access given the potential risk of similar actions by peers. (Published Abstract)