Suicide in children, adolescents and young adults

As suicides of children, adolescents and young adults occur very seldom and only few case reports and more comprehensive studies are available in forensic literature, the autopsy records of the Bonn Institute of Forensic Medicine and the database of the Bonn police authorities from 1989 to 1998 were retrospectively analysed for this phenomenon. This search revealed 37 respective suicides involving 23 male (62%) and 14 female (38%) victims. The ages ranged from 10 to 21 years with the prevalence sharply increasing in adolescents and young adults. Independent from sex, the victims almost unexceptionally applied hard suicide methods like hanging, running over by a train or jump from the height. As for the psychological background, current conflicts with a sweetheart, within the family or at school on the background of mental illness or chronically disturbed family structures were encountered as prevailing factors.