Forensic Medicine [FZ3015] Exam Seen Question past example and answer - Suicide

Discuss and critically evaluate medico-legal aspects of suicide. Expertise regarding methods of suicide and how to differentiate these injuries from accidental or homicidal ones is key for forensic investigations (Byard and Austin, 2011). Suicide is the intentional act of taking one’s own life. Common methods include firearms injuries, jumping from a height, knife wounds, hanging, or self- poisoning; this varies between different societies based on cultural/religious beliefs and on access to means (Pradham et al., 2012). This essay aims to address the common forms of suicide and the medicolegal considerations which must be made. Coroners are required to by law to investigate a death when the circumstances are unnatural, suspicious, or related to trauma; therefore, a coroner must investigate suspected suicides. Under section 14 and 15 of the Coroner’s Act 2009 the senior coroner can order a post-mortem examination by a medical practitioner to aid in determining the cause of death. For a coroner to give a verdict of suicide they must be able to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that there was no other influence on the death (Arun et al., 2006). Perhaps the most important consideration when examining a possible suicide is the circumstances surrounding the incident. A coroner will conduct interviews with relatives and examine records to determine whether there are factors which suggest the individual committed suicide. Factors are not limited to, but include: financial difficulties, mental illness, stress, or a recent loss (Massaro, 2015). It is also important for the coroner or medical examiner to consider the crime scene as this can possess important information regarding the cause of death. For example, if the deceased has been shot but there is no weapon at the scene, then it is unlikely that this act was a suicide (Karlson, 1998). The presence of a ‘suicide note’ at the scene is also very indicative of a suicidal act, although there may be uncertainty about when the note was written, and by whom. This information, or the lack, cannot be relied on by the coroner to declare it a suicide, therefore it is necessary to carry out a post