Self-immolation: socioeconomic, cultural and psychiatric patterns

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Global Health

Background:

• Self-immolation is a significant global public health issue.
• Epidemiology, causes, and intervention strategies for self-immolation vary between high- and low-income countries.
• A comprehensive summary of self-immolation is needed, covering demographics, psychiatric factors, causes, patterns, and interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize existing literature on suicide by self-immolation.
• To compare demographic and psychiatric risk factors, causes, local patterns, and methods of self-immolation between higher- and lower-income countries.
• To identify potential intervention points based on distinct epidemiological patterns.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of papers on self-immolation published between 1973 and 2010.
• Comparison of epidemiologic and psychiatric risk factors, method, locale, and timing of self-immolation between higher- and lower-income countries.

Main Results:

• Self-immolation is rare in higher-income countries, with a male majority and more frequent association with mental illness or substance abuse.
• In lower-income countries, self-immolation is more common, with a female majority and less frequent association with documented mental illness or substance abuse.
• Distinct differences in epidemiologic patterns suggest differing underlying causes and necessitate tailored intervention strategies.

Conclusions:

• Self-immolation literature is best categorized by country income level, reflecting broader developmental differences.
• Epidemiological patterns in self-immolation highlight distinct variations between higher- and lower-income settings.
• Further analytical studies are required to establish causality and optimize intervention strategies for self-immolation.