A retrospective study was carried out on 160 suicidecases autopsied at the Forensic Medicine Center inDammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (from 2003 to 2007).
Of these cases, 131 (81.87%) were males and 29(18.13%) were females, and the ratio of the males to females was 4.5 : 1 Approximately two thirds (107 cases)from the studied subjects were in the third and fourthdecades.
The largest proportion of suicides was among Indianpopulation (41.25%), followed by Saudi nationals(20.625%), and other fourteen different nationalities.
Suicide by hanging was the most common method in themajority of cases (83.125%) followed by firearm self-shooting in only 8 individuals (5%) and other sevenmethods of suicide.
Multiple suicidal methods were usedin just 9 cases. More than 80% of the cases were laborersand maids, the rest were jobless, housewives or related toother occupations.
Family troubles were documented in 16 cases (10%)while a history of psychological illnesses was given indouble this figure (31 cases).
Suicidal notes were discovered in the scene of death in 5% of cases. Postmortemblood alcohol was revealed in only 5.625% of cases, and toxicological analysis resulted in detection of amphetamine and cannabinoids, in 2.5% and 1.875% ofthem, respectively.