Suicide: Posthumous Notes Analysis from Inhabitants of Mexico City

Abstract

The research results presented here correspond to 5 years of continuous work, focused on the methodology of Discourse Analysis, based on the analysis of content articulated to the work of forensic medicine. The sample focused on the analysis of posthumous messages, of people who committed suicide by hanging. This line of study was carried out at the National Polytechnic Institute (Key SIP Project: No 20181294) carried out at INCIFO in Mexico City. The results rest on the use of a nonparametric test for difference in proportions as well as summary measures such as ratio, proportion, and percentage. What it was found was that the most frequent motivation was sentimental (52% men, 45% women) followed by guilt (27% women, 5% men). The receiver of the message, in the first place, was the couple (33% men, 20% women), and in second place the parents (10% women and 19% men). Regarding occupation, the ones that have the highest rates of suicide were employees (48%), and police officers (34%). Finally, the district with the highest rate of suicides was Iztapalapa (30% women and 24% men) within the winter months of January and February (98% and 100%) respectively in the total of deaths.