Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Suicides Committed in Medellin, Colombia

Paula Andrea Ortega; Ruben Darío Manrique; Carlos Alfonso Tovilla Zarate; Carlos López Jaramillo; Jorge Mauricio Cuartas

doi:10.1016/j.rcp.2014.02.006

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Suicides Committed in Medellin, Colombia

Rev Colomb Psiquiatr. 2014 Apr-Jun;43(2):106-12. doi: 10.1016/j.rcp.2014.02.006. Epub 2014 May 21.

Authors

Paula Andrea Ortega¹, Ruben Darío Manrique², Carlos Alfonso Tovilla Zarate³, Carlos López Jaramillo⁴, Jorge Mauricio Cuartas⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Director of Research, CES University, Medellín, Colombia.
³ Laboratorio de Genómica, Medicine Faculty DAM, Comalcalco, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, México.
⁴ Psychiatry Department, Medicine Faculty, University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
⁵ Professor, Psychology Faculty, Universidad de San Buenaventura, Medellín, Colombia.

PMID: 26574965
DOI: 10.1016/j.rcp.2014.02.006

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the characteristics of individuals who committed suicide in Medellín between 2008 and 2010, and to identify variables related to the type of events.

Methods: A retrospective and descriptive analysis was conducted on data provided by the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences. In addition, a univariate and bivariate analysis was used to identify the sociodemographic and medical-legal characteristics of the deceased. Multiple correspondence analysis was also used in order to establish typologies. The information was analyzed using STATA 11.0.

Results: Of the 389 cases occurring between 2008 and 2010, 84.6% (n=329) were men. The male to female ratio was 5:1; 64% of the cases occurred in people aged 18-45 years; 6.7% occurred in children under 18, with hanging being the method most chosen by the victims (48.3%). Exploratory analysis was used to identify a possible association between the use of violent methods and events occurring in the housing and social strata 1, 2 and 3.

Conclusions: Some factors could be associated with suicide, providing data that could consolidate health intervention strategies in our population.

Keywords: Características sociodemográficas; Etiología multifactorial; Medellín; Multifactorial etiology; Sociodemographic characteristics; Suicide; Suicidio.