[Suicide of children and adolescents]

The retrospective analysis of the Bonn autopsy material from 1992 to 1996 revealed 11 suicides of children and adolescents, 8 girls and 3 boys. The ages ranged from 10 to 19 years. The suicides occurred preferentially outdoors in the warm months of summer, on Monday and in the middle of the week, in the afternoon and early evening hours. Independent from sex, the children unexceptionally applied hard suicide methods like hanging or jump from the height. As for the psychological background, current conflicts within the family or at school on the background of chronically disturbed family structures were encountered as prevailing factors.