<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The present paper reports a 7 year old girl’s death by hanging. The forensic investigation disclosed death most likely to be self-inflicted, either an act of suicide, subsidiary a case of accidental asphyxia from a child’s play. A review of forensic autopsy records from southeast Norway during the years 1984-2012 was performed. Totally 116 deaths among children and adolescents &lt; 18 years of age were classified as either suicide or as “undetermined - suicide likely” subsequent to post-mortem examination. The most common suicidal methods were hanging (46%), the use of firearms (24%), jumping in front of a train (11%) and drug intake / intoxication (8%). Though rarely observed in children &lt; 12 years of age, suicide is a common cause of sudden death in adolescents, and there is evidence that the extent of the problem is unceasing. The paper highlights the value of forensic medical examination and crime scene reenactment in the evaluation of the manner of death in obscure cases.</p></abstract>

The present paper reports a 7 year old girl’s death by hanging. The forensic investigation disclosed death most likely to be self-inflicted, either an act of suicide, subsidiary a case of accidental asphyxia from a child’s play. A review of forensic autopsy records from southeast Norway during the years 1984-2012 was performed. Totally 116 deaths among children and adolescents < 18 years of age were classified as either suicide or as “undetermined - suicide likely” subsequent to post-mortem examination. The most common suicidal methods were hanging (46%), the use of firearms (24%), jumping in front of a train (11%) and drug intake / intoxication (8%). Though rarely observed in children < 12 years of age, suicide is a common cause of sudden death in adolescents, and there is evidence that the extent of the problem is unceasing. The paper highlights the value of forensic medical examination and crime scene reenactment in the evaluation of the manner of death in obscure cases.

Suicide in children and adolescents: A case report of the possible suicide of a 7 year old girl and presentation of data from a forensic autopsy material in Norway

Norwegian Institute of Public Health and University of Oslo, Department of Forensic Pathology and Clinical Forensic Medicine, Division of Forensic Medicine and Drug Abuse Research, Norway

Scandinavian Journal of Forensic Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The present paper reports a 7 year old girl’s death by hanging. The forensic investigation disclosed death most likely to be self-inflicted, either an act of...

Suicide in children and adolescents: A case report of the possible suicide of a 7 year old girl and presentation of data from a forensic autopsy material in Norway

Published Online: Mar 03, 2015

Page range: 9 - 12

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjfs-2014-0001

Keywords
Suicide, children, adolescents, reenactment, hanging

© Danish Society of Forensic Medicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Suicide in children and adolescents: A case report of the possible suicide of a 7 year old girl and presentation of data from a forensic autopsy material in Norway

Published Online: Mar 03, 2015

Page range: 9 - 12

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjfs-2014-0001

KeywordsSuicide, children, adolescents, reenactment, hanging

© Danish Society of Forensic Medicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Suicide, children, adolescents, reenactment, hanging