Role of Menstrual Cycle and Other Predisposing Factors in Female Suicide-An Autopsy Study

The mysterious menstrual cycle which has a lunar periodicity, deserves a detailed study as majority of females committing suicide are in the menstrual age group. Emotional balance in females seems to become unstable in the premenstrual phase. Objectives of the present study is to find out relation of completed suicides with menstrual phases and other predisposing factors.

This was a descriptive study on females belonging to age group 15 to 45 years. The study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram during the period 2004 to 2005. Ninety five cases of suicide brought for autopsy during the study period were included.

Proliferative and secretory phases have an almost equal distribution in completed suicides (45.3% and 46.3% respectively). Hence premenstrual syndrome could not be the precipitating factor in the present series. Predisposing factors for the suicides were mental illness, family problems, physical illness, financial problems, educational problems, dowry related problems, loss of employment. Most of the completed suicide did not reveal any specific cause for their act.