Kenan Karbeyaz

Elderly suicide in Eskisehir, Turkey

Old age should be examined separately from other stages of life in terms of ratio, method and motives for suicide. With some variation, epidemiological studies suggest suicides increase with age in virtually every society. This study examines demographic data (age, sex and marital status), and other factors related to 20-years (1997-2016) of completed elder suicides in Eskisehir, Turkey. The 74 cases of those 65 and over were evaluated with regard to method, tool and location of the suicide. Annual distributions illustrate gradual increases in this fatal self-harm over time. The vast majority of cases were male (74.3%), compared to female (25.6%). Elders in the 80-84 age range were most likely to kill themselves. Deaths were frequently caused by hanging, followed by other methods and took place in the home. Reasons associated with suicidal behavior included despair as a result of bereavement, mental illnesses, chronic physical conditions and living alone. The researchers cite potential prevention strategies through the use of early mental health treatment for elders, along with inclusion in social services and activities.

An analysis of the murder of women in a 10-year period in Eskişehir Province located in western Anatolia in Turkey

Murder of women generally occurs as a result of violence by their husbands and relatives. We evaluated the female victims of murder in Eskişehir, located in western Anatolia, where the education level is high in this study. Our aim was to assess and discuss data related to the victims and murderers. A total of 141 womens murder cases were analysed in the study. After a legal process and the results of the autopsies during 2002-2011 in Eskişehir, 715 subjects found to have died as a result of murder were chosen. Cases were evaluated in terms of their age, marital status, education level, relationship to the murderer, reasons for violence, type of action and reasons for death. It was determined that 48.2% (n = 68) of the victims had been killed by the husband and 7.8% (n = 11) by the ex-husband. Murderers generally stated that the reason of murder was the womans request for divorce or breaking up (n = 40, 28.4%). In compliance with the literature, the women were most commonly killed by their husbands in our study. Enhancing womens status and preventing violence against women will decrease such murders.

İntihar Notlarının Analizi: Eskişehir 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 Eskişehir 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.

Completed suicide among University student in Eskisehir, Turkey

INTRODUCTION In this study student suicides are classified as a distinct group in Eskisehir-a city located in the western part of our country and famous as a student city. The study aims at describing demographic and suicide specification of cases and compare some important issues between males and females. METHOD All the judicially deaths in Eskisehir in a 12 year period between 2004 and 2015 have been evaluated. 75 cases that were deemed as suicide cases as a result of criminal investigation have been included in the study. RESULTS It was determined that hanging method was the most frequently used method and the number of male was more. It was determined that the majority of them were the students living away from their families. Definite or possible psychiatric disorder was identified as the most important risk factor. It was observed that there were significant differences in terms of risk factors between male and female students. Males have been found as more prominent in case of definite or possible psychiatric disorders, alcohol and substance abuse, love and romantic tangles; females have been found as more prominent in case of family problems and social pressure, and repeated suicide attempts. DISCUSSION Compared to the general population love and romantic problems are more prevalent in this group. It is observed that university students left suicide notes more than the general population. Sharing this study with the university administrations could be helpful in undertaking the necessary precautions.

Analysis of suicide deaths in a 15-year period in Eskisehir, western Anatolia, Turkey and the determination of risk factors

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES It is estimated that every year 1 million people die all around the world due to suicide. The average rate of suicide in the world is reported as 16/100 000. In this study, we aimed to evaluate and discuss the suicide cases in our city Eskisehir that is located in western Anatolia. DESIGN AND SETTINGS This is a retrospective study covering the period 1997–2011. METHODS All deaths in Eskisehir caused due to the consumption of forensic medicines in a 15-year period between 1997 and 2011 were evaluated retrospectively. A total of 553 cases were determined to be suicidal following both forensic and criminal investigations, and were included in the study. Furthermore, death examination and autopsy reports were investigated, and judicial investigation records were also taken into account. RESULTS In this period, the average rate of suicide in our city was determined as 5.1/100 000 of which 71.4% of the cases were male. It was determined that the suicides most commonly occurred between the ages of 19 and 29 (32.4%, n=179). The most commonly encountered suicide method was hanging (60.9%, n=337). CONCLUSION It was ascertained that the suicide rate in our city was lower than the average rate in the world, but it was higher than the average rate in Turkey. Unemployment was determined as the most common risk factor in our study. A follow-up should be provided for people with a history of attempting to commit suicide or with a tendency to committing suicide due to a psychological disorder.

Intimate partner femicide in Eskisehir, Turkey 25 years analysis

INTRODUCTION and Objective: Femicide can be defined as violence caused by gender discrimination which results in the death of a woman. In this study, the characteristics of the femicide cases of the last 25 years that have been encountered in Eskisehir, Turkey will be evaluated. It is intended for this article to make a valuable contribution to the existing literature on femicide by adding new data. MATERIAL AND METHODS Female subjects in Eskişehir who were killed by their partner (husband, boyfriend, ex-husband or ex-boyfriend) during the 25-year period between 1992 and 2016 were included in this study. Sociodemographic data, characteristics of the case, autopsy and toxicological findings, the proximity of females to the murderer, causes of violence, type of battery (effective action), and causes of death have been evaluated for this study by examining the autopsy reports and the investigation files belonging to the cases. FINDINGS It was determined that in the Eskisehir province, 148 women were victims of femicide in 25 years, and it was also observed that the number of cases increased every year. The cases were generally associated with the age interval of 19-29 years old (38.5%), and 23 (15.5%) of them were 18 years old or younger. Women were most frequently killed with a sharp object (n = 73, 49.3%). The killers stated during their trials at the court that the most frequent reason why they killed their partner was due to their wives demanding to divorce them or to terminate their relationship (n = 91, 61.5%). CONCLUSION It is observed that the numbers of femicide cases are increasing day by day in this city. Femicide is directly related to violence against women. Although there are laws in Turkey to protect women from being subjected to these kinds of violence; in reality many failures are encountered in practice. Women who are subjected to violence complain about it, but it seems that the legal units concerned may not be able to adequately protect women. It is considered that the authorities do not fully understand the significance of the problem. There is a need for studies involving multi-centered more data related to violence against women and femicide.

The relationship between nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior and manners of death: a multicenter autopsy study

Background/aim: This study aimed to determine the relationship between nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior (NSSIB) and manners of death.Materials and methods: This study retrospectively evaluated 6604 autopsy cases evaluated at forensic medicine institutes of six major cities of Turkey. The study group consisted of all cases with NSSIB findings. The control group was created from cases without signs of NSSIB. Results: We found that the numbers of possible suicide and homicide cases in the NSSIB (+) group were significantly higher than in the NSSIB (-) group. The possibility of death due to suicide was 3.213 times and homicide was 2.004 times higher than natural deaths in the NSSIB (+) group compared with the NSSIB (-) group.Conclusion: The presence of NSSIB might increase the risk of death due to suicide and homicide, especially in adolescence.

Suça Sürüklenen Çocuklarda Maliyet Analizi Örneği: Olgu Sunumu

Cocugun olay sonrasi, karakoldan baslayarak, sorusturma ve yargilama sureci, devlet tarafindan karsilanan onemli bir maddi yuk olusturmaktadir. Sunulan olgularda bu maliyetin hesaplanmasi, bunun ilgili kurumlara bildirilmesi ve bu ekonomik giderin, cocuklarin yararina kullaniminin tartisilmasi amaclanmistir. Şube Mudurlugumuze suc isledigi iddiasi ile en cok muracaat ettirilmis, ayni zamanda amca cocuklari olan 2 olgu degerlendirilmistir. Cocuklarin ikisinin toplam 992 degisik suc nedeniyle basvurduklari belirlenmistir. Cocuklarin her suc icin minimum 800 TL giderlerinin oldugu, cocuklar icin toplam olarak harcanan paranin 793. 600 TL oldugu belirlendi. Bu cocuklar harcanan paranin ornek teskil etmesi, kendilerinden sonra gelen basta ayni aile fertleri olmak uzere, suca suruklenen ve bunu bir davranis bicimi haline getiren cocuklarin erkenden teshis edilerek gerekli guvenlik ve sosyal destegin saglanabilmesi oldukca onemlidir. Cocuklarin yargilanmasi icin harcanan para ile bir cok imkan saglanabilecegi dusunulmektedir.

Can Spousal Sexual Assault Cases be Detected without any Psychiatric Findings

Objective: Whether spousal rape is a misconduct or not has been a controversial topic for a long time in the jurisdictional system of our country. Sexual assault against one’s spouse has been declared as a criminal act by the change in the Turkish Criminal Code on 1st June 2005. However, we think that psychiatric evaluation of the victim has been ignored by the change in the related penal code in 2014. In this study our aim is to evaluate sexual assaults in marriage and understand and present the importance of psychological findings. Materials and Methods: Data of the sexual assault cases by one’s spouse during the six years period between 2011 and 2016 who were evaluated by Eskisehir Office of Council of Forensic Medicine were analyzed with their psychiatric evaluation findings. Results: In 6 years 27 spousal rape victims were evaluated. Among them, 48.2 % were in the 17 to 24 years’ age group. Only two (7.4 %) had a university degree. Only one case was evaluated after the Turkish Criminal Code has changed. In only 9 (%33.3) cases, findings of the assault were observed by physical and genital examination. By psychiatric evaluation, psychiatric findings related to sexual assault has been determined in all cases. It is determined that without psychiatric evaluation, in the two third of cases no evidence would be obtained and therefore no prosecution could be conducted. Conclusion: Without psychological findings, the sexual assault evaluation is incomplete. Therefore, the related article of penal code needs regulation. The psychiatric findings should be considered as evidence in sexual assault cases and this must be clearly defined in the Criminal Code. Units both for children and adolescents should be established in all cities immediately, in which the psychiatrists and forensic medicine specialists could work together.

The elder physical abuse reflected in judicial authorities in Eskisehir

AIM Elder abuse is a health and human rights problem that may occur among every race and ethnic group all around the world. This study aims at describing all cases of physical abuse of elderly which have been reported to, and investigated by Eskisehir - a western city of Turkey. METHODS Physical abuse incidents above 65 years of age which were evaluated by the Eskisehir Council of Forensic Medicine for expert witness opinion during 5year period between 01.01.2010 and 12.31.2014 are examined in this descriptive, cross-sectional study. RESULTS 253 cases are found and evaluated in the scope of the study. It is determined that all aggressors are the acquaintance of the victim, and for 114 cases (45.1%) the aggressor is the victims son. It is found that only investigation procedures of cases are completed, but no protection and rehabilitation program has been issued. CONCLUSION In conclusion, it is determined that elder victims are abused by family members and relatives who are mostly the care givers. It is seen that emergency physicians play a great role in the detection of abuse.