Analysis of suicide notes: an experience in Eskisehir city/Intihar notlarinin analizi: Eskisehir deneyimi

Introduction: It is estimated that a million people around the world die by suicide each year. It has been reported that a note was left in 5%-43% of the suicides. In this study, it we aimed to evaluate and discuss suicide notes in our city which is situated in Western Anatolia and where several universities are located. Method: All forensic deaths in Eskisehir in 10-year period between 2001 and 2011 were evaluated. Forensic investigation files were assessed. After investigation, Out of 399 cases, 168 (42.1%) cases, who were determined to have left a suicide letter, telephone message (sms) or message via social network sites, were included in the scope of the study. Results: It was found that 95 (56.5%) of all cases had left a suicide letter, 69 (41.1%) cases had sent a telephone message to a person or more than one person, 4 (2.4%) cases had written notes about suicide and death in social networking sites. Conclusion: A suicide note is an important finding in suicide cases to clarify the case. However, the note should be confirmed by investigation to be accepted as evidence. (Archives of Neuropsychiatry 2014; 51: 275-279) Key words: Suicide, letter, forensic psychiatry Giris: Dunyada her yil bir milyon insanin intihar nedeniyle oldugu tahmin edilmektedir. Intiharlarin %5-%43'unde intihar notu birakildigi bildirilmistir. Bu calismada Bati Anadolu'da bulunan ve universite sehri olan ilimizde intihar notlarinin degerlendirilmesi amaclanmistir. Yontem: Eskisehir'de 2002 ile 2011 yillari arasindaki 10 yillik donemde, adli nitelikli olumlerin tumu degerlendirildi. Adli sorusturma dosyalari incelendi. Intihar ettigine karar verilen 399 olgu icinden intihar mektubu, telefon mesaji (sms) veya sosyal paylasim siteleri araciligiyla intihar notu biraktigi saptanan 168 (%42,1) olgu calisma kapsamina alindi. Bulgular: Tum olgularin 95'inin (%56,5) intihar mektubu biraktigi, 69'unun (%41,1) bir ya da birden fazla kisiye sms attigi, 4'unun (%2,4) ise sosyal paylasim sitesine intihar ve olum ile ilgili notlar yazdigi saptandi. Sonuc: Intihar oldugu dusunulen olgularda intihar notu, olayin aydinlatilmasi icin onemli bir bulgudur. Ancak delil kabul edilebilmesi icin sorusturma sonucunda dogrulanmasi gerekir. (Noropsikiyatri Arsivi 2014; 51: 275-279) Anahtar kelimeler: Intihar, mektup, adli psikiyatri