Suicide deaths in dammam, kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Retrospective study

A retrospective study was carried out on 126 suicide cases autopsied at the Forensic Medicine Center in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 2000 to 2003.Of these 126 cases, 109 (86.5%) were males and 17 (13.49%) were females, and the ratio of the males to females was 6.4:1 with the highest ratio in 2000 (10:1). Around 88% of the studied subjects were in their third or fourth decades.The largest percentage of suicides were among non-Saudis, and the highest is the Indian population with 54 cases (42.85%), followed by Saudi nationals (15.07%) and then ten other nationalities. Suicide by hanging was the most common method (89.68%), followed by firearms in only eight individuals (5.55%) and other four methods of suicide.Family troubles were documented in 5.5% of cases. While a history of psychological illnesses was more than double this figure, 13.49%. Suicide notes were discovered at the scene of death in five cases. Postmortem blood alcohol was found in only 5.55% of cases, and toxicological analysis resulted in the detection of amphetamine and cannabinoids in 3.69% and 1.587% of them, respectively.There was an unstable curve in suicide rate in Dammam; in 2000 there were 33 cases, with fewer in 2001, more in 2002, and the fewest in 2003.