Süleyman Gören

Fatal falls from heights in and around Diyarbakir, Turkey

Falls from high places, such as from a building, are frequently encountered in suicides, in some accidents, and sometimes in homicides. In this study, we evaluated the demographic data, mortality rates, fall causes, and post-mortem findings of individuals who fell from heights. Our cases were collected retrospectively from the files of the Branch of the Council of Forensic Medicine in Diyarbakir between 1996 and 2001. There were 431 accidental and 53 suicidal deaths due to blunt injury resulting from falls. Of the victims, 188 were female and 296 were male. The average age of the 484 victims was 27.05 years (range: 4 months-100 years). For buildings, the height ranged from 3 to 8 stories for suicides and from 1 to 8 stories for accidents. We proceeded to analyse the characteristics of accidental falls as follows. The majority of falls were from balconies or rooftops due to the tendency of people to sit and sleep on these places during the hotter months of the year. Some 54.5% of all falls occurred in May-August. The 53 suicidal jumps all occurred off buildings. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 70 years, and comprised 29 women and 24 men. One of the deceased jumped from the roof of a school in which he was boarding, and another from the seventh story of a hospital in which he was receiving treatment. The remaining 51 jumped from heights ranging from 3 to 8 stories. Psychiatric illness was reported in 18 (33.9%) of the suicide deaths, while 10 (18.8%) of the 53 suicides were single women. The results of this study were at variance with literature data with respect to the following: falls from heights were most common in the 0-5 year age group, females had a higher suicide rate than males, and the majority of accidental falls occurred at home rather than in the workplace.

Suicide in children and adolescents at a province in Turkey.

Despite the well-documented increases in the rate of completed suicide among children, accurate knowledge of the characteristics of these suicides is limited. We examined all suicides by children and adolescents in Diyarbakir during 1999 and 2001. All of the cases were analyzed regarding the age, sex, method and location of suicide, time of year, and predictive factors. There were 56 children aged 11 through 19 years. Adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age constituted the overwhelming number (87%) of all the childhood suicides. Female children and adolescents predominated among the suicide victims (71%). The most frequent means of suicide were firearms (43%), hanging (28%), and jumping (16%), respectively. The majority of suicides occurred at the decedent’s home (88%). Reasons identified were mainly psychiatric disorders, followed by troubles within the family. A prior suicide attempt or a note that was left by the decedent and elucidated the reason for the suicide was rare. There was no seasonal difference in rates of suicides.

Turkey's Physicians' Attitudes Toward Euthanasia: A Brief Research Report

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are subject to an ongoing debate and discussed with various aspects. Because physicians are in a profession closely related to euthanasia, their attitudes toward this subject are significant. Thus, research intending to explore their opinions is carried out in many countries. In this study, opinions of the physicians regarding euthanasias definition, contents, legal aspects, and acceptable conditions for its application are addressed. The questionnaire was given to 949 physicians, more than 1% of the total working in Turkey. Of the physicians who participated in the study, 49.9% agreed with the opinion that euthanasia should be legal in certain circumstances. In addition, 19% had come across a euthanasia request and the majority of physicians (55.9%) believed that euthanasia is applied secretly in the country despite the prohibitory legislation. In conclusion, the authors infer from the study itself and believe that euthanasia should be legal in certain circumstances and that the subject, which is not in the agenda of the Turkish population, should continue to be examined.

Female Suicides in Diyarbakir, Turkey

The aim of this study was to investigate the methods used and demographic data of women suicides by examining postmortem investigation and autopsy reports from the Branch of the Council of Forensic Medicine in Diyarbakir Province, Turkey, between 1996 and 2001. Fifty-eight percent (174/302) of suicides were females and 42% (128/302) were males. The suicide rates were similarly higher for females than for males (2.6 and 1.8 per 10,000 population, respectively). Over half of female suicides (56.3%) occurred in those under 20 years of age. The most common suicide method for women was hanging (32.2%), and for men was firearms (51.7%), but for women younger than 20 years the most frequent method was firearms. Among the female suicides, five (2.8%) were known to have attempted suicide at least once in the past. Twenty-nine women (16.7%) were documented to have any psychiatric illness. None of the women had a history of drug or alcohol abuse. A suicide note was found in only six cases (3.4%). The predominant suicide motive was family problems (in 32% or 56/174). The higher rate of suicide in females than in males, and the absolute female predominance in suicides in Diyarbakir, Turkey, are in contrast to most of the medical literature and statistical information about suicide rates by country, in which suicide rates are usually higher among males.

Kaza ile üzerine cisim düşmesine bağlı hastaneye başvuran hastaların değerlendirilmesi

Amac: Ozellikle cocuklarda olmak uzere ev, is ve dis ortamlarda meydana gelen kazalar, yaralanma ve olum nedenlerinin basinda gelmektedir. Bu calismada amac, kaza ile uzerine cisim dusmesine bagli hastanemize bas- vuran hastalarin degerlendirilmesidir. Yontemler: Bu calismamizda kaza ile uzerine cisim dus- mesine bagli 2012-2014 yillari arasinda hastanemize basvuran 135 hastanin dosyalari retrospektif olarak incelendi. Bu hastalarin yas, cinsiyet, olayin nedeni olarak uzerine dusen cismin turu, yeri, zamani ve olum nedenleri analiz edildi. Bulgular: Hastalarin 82 ( %60,7)’i erkek, 53 (%39,3)’u kadin ve yas ortalamasi 18,8 (0-79 yil) olarak bulundu. En fazla hasta %57,8 (78 hasta) ile cocuk yas grubunda ( 0-18 yas) bulunmaktadir. Dusen cismin turu bakimindan degerlendirildiginde sirasiyla %18,5 (25 hasta) ile televizyon, %15,6 (21 hasta) ile tas ve %11,1 (15 hasta) ile demirden yapilmis cisimler ilk uc sirayi paylasmaktadir. Kazanin meydana geldigi yer olarak ele alindiginda en fazla kazanin 85 vaka (%62,9) ile evde oldugu gorulmektedir. Kazanin meydana gelme zamanina bakildiginda en fazla 93 vaka (%68,9) ile yaz mevsiminde meydana geldigi gorulmektedir. Sonuc: Bu calismada elde edilen veriler, ozellikle cocuklarin maruz kaldigi bu tur kazalari onleme programlarina katki saglamaktadir. Anahtar kelimeler: Cisim dusmesi, cocuk kazalari, is kazalari, cocuk olum nedenleri, ev kazalari