A One-Year Retrospective Medico-Legal Analysis of Suicidal Deaths at a Tertiary Care Centre in Surguja Region, Chhattisgarh.

Abstract

Background: Suicide is a global medico-legal and public health challenge. The tribal and agricultural Surguja region in Northern Chhattisgarh presents unique socio-cultural dynamics. This study retrospectively analyses socio-demographic and medico-legal patterns of suicidal deaths brought for autopsy here. Materials and Methods: A one-year retrospective, cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary care center in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh. We analysed all conclusively established suicidal deaths brought for medico-legal autopsy between January and December 2022. Data on age, sex, marital status, residential area, and suicide method were statistically analysed. Results: Of 201 analysed suicidal deaths, male predominance was observed (67.2% vs. 32.8% females). Young adults aged 21-30 years (41.3%) and 31-40 years (25.4%) were most vulnerable. Married individuals formed a majority (67.7%). Incidence was higher in rural areas (59.7%) than in urban areas (40.3%). Poisoning was the most common method (52.2%), followed by hanging (45.3%), burns (1.5%), and drowning (1.0%). Poisoning dominated in rural settings (82.9% of poisoning cases), while hanging prevailed in urban areas (69.2% of hanging cases). Conclusion: Young, married rural males represent the most vulnerable demographic for suicide in Surguja. The high rural prevalence of poisoning necessitates strict agrochemical regulations alongside expanded grassroots mental health and tele-psychiatry services.