Fatal suicide cases in Port Said city, Egypt.

In the present study, a retrospective evaluation of suicide cases in the city of Port Said from 1998 to 2004 is done. The demographic data of the cases were evaluated. There were 80 cases of suicide 54 of them (67.5%) involved males. Age distribution showed a predominance in the age range 20-30 years. Methods of suicide included rodenticides intake in 25% of cases, drowning in 18.75%, burns in 16.25%, firearm injuries in 13.75%, jumping from height in 10%, drug intake in 8.75% and hanging in 7.5%. A medico-legal autopsy had been carried out for all cases. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of rodenticides control as well as necessity of performing a psychological autopsy.