Suicidal Deaths by Poisoning in Muzaffargarh: Observational Study Comprising of Regional Toxicity Patterns of Acute Poisoning in Cases of Suicidal Deaths in Muzaffargarh: Regional Toxicity Patterns of Acute Poisoning in Cases of Suicidal Deaths in Muzaffargarh

Sanaila Gull Sana; Hafsa Hafeez; Muhammad Asif Shahab; Tasneem Muraad; Riffat Masood; Sohaib Hassan Niazi

doi:10.54393/pjhs.v5i09.2222

Authors

Sanaila Gull Sana Department of Forensic Medicine, Federal Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan
Hafsa Hafeez Department of Forensic Medicine, Hazrat Bari Imam Sarkar Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Asif Shahab Department of Forensic Medicine, Heavy Industries Taxila Education City Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College, Taxilla, Pakistan
Tasneem Muraad Department of Forensic Medicine, Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Riffat Masood Department of Forensic Medicine, Foundation University Medical College, Islamabad, Pakistan
Sohaib Hassan Niazi Department of Medicolegal, District Head Quarter Hospital, Mianwali, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v5i09.2222

Keywords:

Suicidal Deaths, Poisoning, Muzaffargarh, Toxicology

Abstract

Cases of suicidal deaths are increasing day by day and one of the main reasons is acute poisoning, which is the preferred method of suicide in many areas. The increasing number of deaths led us to conduct a study on this particular aspect. Objectives: To determine the frequency of toxic agents used for poisoning, regional trends of availability, modes and methods of use and reasons for self-poisoning. Methods: In this retrospective study, dead bodies of both genders and all age groups were studied with their respective data and history, for the years of 2019 to 2023. Unidentified, burnt, putrefied and bodies of chronic narcotic abuse were excluded. All the variables were analyzed through SPSS version 27.0. Results: Out of 387 cases of suicidal deaths due to poisoning, 67% were females with the predominant age group of 21 to 40 years. The majority were married and belonged to rural areas of Muzaffargarh with illiteracy levels up to 75%. The widely used poisonous agents were Kala Pathar, Wheat pills and Organophosphorus. Almost 61.7% of families did not allow postmortem of the deceased. Conclusions: It was concluded that suicidal deaths due to poisoning are soaring day by day due to the lack of proper legislation, suicide prevention strategies and provision of health facilities for the people of district Muzaffargarh.

References

Muhammad S, Ahmad R, Rajpoot PL, Tabassum R, Khaskheli MS, Abbas J et al. Threads of Vulnerability: A Cross-sectional Study on Factors Associated with Suicide and Self-harm in Pakistan. Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2024 Jul; 19(2): 173-87. doi: 10.18502/sjms.v19i2.13906. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/sjms.v19i2.13906

Albano GD, Malta G, La Spina C, Rifiorito A, Provenzano V, Triolo V et al. Toxicological Findings of Self- Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries. Toxics. 2022 Oct; 10(11): 654. doi: 10.3390/toxics10110654. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10110654

Ahmad A, Chaudhry SH, Farooq U, Waheed I, Junaid A, Ali A. Pattern of Self-Poisoning and Toxicity in Suicidal Deaths Presenting for Autopsy at the Teaching Hospital of the Cosmopolitan City of Pakistan. The Journal of Allama Iqbal Medical College. 2023 Mar; 21(1): 55-60. doi: 10.59058/jaimc.v21i1.110. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59058/jaimc.v21i1.110

Khan MM. Suicidal Behaviours in Pakistan. in Suicidal Behavior in Muslim Majority Countries: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. 2024 Jun; 223-243. doi: 10.1007/978-981- 97-2519-9_15.

Rasheed A, Butt US, Farid N, Aziz I, Anwar HN, Makhdoom PA. An Autopsy Study of Cases of Death Due to Poisoning. Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences. 2022 Apr; 16(03): 780-. doi: 10.53350/pjmhs22163780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs22163780

Hashim M, Manj YN, Shabbir SW, Rizwan M. Health Policy and Ladies Health Workers Stress During Fields Work: Case Study of District Muzaffargarh. Statistics, Computing and Interdisciplinary Research. 2019 Dec; 1(1): 41-53. doi: 10.52700/scir.v1i1.20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52700/scir.v1i1.20

Abaid T, Anjum H, Cheema TN, Khurram AR, Ali A. Analysis of Poisoning Cases at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bahawalpur. Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences. 2022 Aug; 16(05): 1470-. doi: 10.53350/pjmhs221651470. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs221651470

Riaz L, Shahid RA, Siddiqi AM, Riaz MR, Zubair MU, Shaikh AR et al. Patterns of Suicidal Poisoning Cases in Three Tertiary Care Government Hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Medicine and Dentistry. 2020 Apr; 9(2): 51-7. doi: 10.36283/PJMD9-2/010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36283/PJMD9-2/010

Dabholkar S, Pirani S, Davis M, Khan M, Eddleston M. Suicides by Pesticide Ingestion in Pakistan and the Impact of Pesticide Regulation. BioMed Central Public Health. 2023 Apr; 23(1): 676. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15505-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15505-1

Safdar M, Afzal KI, Smith Z, Ali F, Zarif P, Baig ZF. Suicide by Poisoning in Pakistan: Review of Regional Trends, Toxicity and Management of Commonly Used Agents in the Past Three Decades. British Journal of Psychiatry Open. 2021 Jul; 7(4): e114. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2021.923. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2021.923

Tharani A, Farooq S, Lakhdir MP, Talib U, Khan MM. Characteristics and Patterns of Individuals Who Have Self- Harmed: A Retrospective Descriptive Study from Karachi, Pakistan. BioMed Central Psychiatry. 2022 May; 22(1): 367. doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-04018-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04018-7

Khan MM. Suicidal Behaviours in Pakistan. In Suicidal Behavior in Muslim Majority Countries: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prevention. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore. 2024 Jun: 223-243. doi: 10.1007/978-981- 97-2519-9_15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2519-9_15

Aziz PA, Nasir Z, Qureshi N, Sheikh GS, Qureshi Q, Hanif A. Suicidal Tendency Through Poisoning and Its outcome Among Young Population. An Alarming Mental Health Issue. Journal of Muhammad Medical College. 2022 Jun; 12(2): 128-33. doi: 10.62118/jmmc.v12i2.242. DOI: https://doi.org/10.62118/jmmc.v12i2.242

Shareef ML and Kumar KR. A Study Profile and Incidence of Organophosphate Poisoning at Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad, and Telangana-A Three Year Study. Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine. 2019 Oct; 6(4): 225-32. doi: 10.18231/j.ijfcm.2019.049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijfcm.2019.049

Muhammad S, Kumar N, Qureshi Y, Kumari G, Abbas J, Sultana R et al. Gravity of Poisoning Cases in Shaheed Benazirabad Sindh, Pakistan: A Prospective Study. Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International. 2020 Oct; 32(25): 89-98. doi: 10.9734/jpri/2020/v32i2530826. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/jpri/2020/v32i2530826

Anjum A, Saeed Ali T, Akber Pradhan N, Khan M, Karmaliani R. Perceptions of Stakeholders About the Role of Health System in Suicide Prevention in Ghizer, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. BioMed Central Public Health. 2020 Dec; 20: 1-4. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-09081-x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09081-x

Karunarathne A, Gunnell D, Konradsen F, Eddleston M. How Many Premature Deaths from Pesticide Suicide Have Occurred Since the Agricultural Green Revolution? Clinical Toxicology. 2020 Apr; 58(4): 227-32. doi: 10.1080/15563650.2019.1662433. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2019.1662433

Naveed S, Tahir SM, Imran N, Rafiq B, Ayub M, Haider II et al. Sociodemographic Characteristics and Patterns of Suicide in Pakistan: An Analysis of Current Trends. Community Mental Health Journal. 2023 Aug; 59(6): 1064-70. doi: 10.1007/s10597-022-01086-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-022-01086-7

Aslam N, Naz M, Memon MQ, Kumar P, Memon AU, Awan EA. A Medico-legal Analysis of Autopsy Cases Due to Poisoning. Pakistan Journal of Medical and Health Sciences. 2022 Dec; 16(10): 988-. doi: 10.53350/pjmhs221610988. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs221610988

Yousuf FB, Sarker S, Ferdous T, Chowdhury SM, Quayum S. Socio-demographic Profile of Female Engaging in Self-poisoning at a Tertiary Care Hospital. Asian Journal of Medicine and Health. 2023 Jul; 21(9): 166-73. doi: 10.9734/ajmah/2023/v21i9870. DOI: https://doi.org/10.9734/ajmah/2023/v21i9870

Shekhani SS, Perveen S, Hashmi DE, Akbar K, Bachani S, Khan MM. Suicide and Deliberate Self-Harm in Pakistan: A Scoping Review. BioMed Central Psychiatry. 2018 Dec; 18: 1-5. doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1586-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1586-6

Hussain J, Karmaliani R, Somani R, Khan K, Khan MM. A Family Ethnographic Approach to Explore the Causes of Suicide Among Married Women of 20-40 Years in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research. 2019 Jul; 10(7): 2081-7.

Husain MO, Umer M, Taylor P, Chaudhry N, Kiran T, Ansari S et al. Demographic and Psychosocial Characteristics of Self-Harm: The Pakistan Perspective. Psychiatry Research. 2019 Sep; 279: 201-6. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.02.070. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2019.02.070

Ayub M, Rafiq B, Tahir SM, Imran N, Naveed S, Haider II. Assessing the Quality of Media Reporting of Suicide Deaths in Pakistan Against International Guidelines. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2023 Mar; 69(2): 406-11. doi: 10.1177/00207640221106683. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00207640221106683

Asad N, Pirani S, Tariq S, Qureshi A, Zaman M, Aslam M et al. Patterns of Suicide and Self-Harm in Pakistan: A Retrospective Descriptive Study Protocol. British Medical Journal Open. 2022 Nov; 12(11): e064535. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064535. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064535