Iranian Journal of Forensic Medicine
Year:2012 | Volume:18 | Issue:1 (65)|Papers Count:7

Background: Suicide is considered as one of the important social and mental health problems in many countries and allocated considerable resources in the collection of primary and secondary health cares to itself. The main object of this study is determination of suicide deaths, referred to the centers of Legal Medicine Organization.Methods: Data collected via pre-prepared questionnaires filled out by family or relatives of who died following a suicide at legal medicine centers in 2010; then, data was analyted by SPSS software.Findings: According to the 3513 suicide deaths in 2010, the suicide rate in Iran was determined 4.7 cases per hundred thousand populations (6.6 for men and 2.7 for women). Ilam, Kermanshah, Hamedan, and Lorestan provinces had the highest rate of attempted suicide.70.5% of suicide cases occrued in men. The rate of suicide between men and women in Iran was lower than the most European, North American, East Asian and Oceanian countries.Conclusion: Meanwhile, the issue of suicide in different parts of country, especially western areas, should be examined separately. Therefore, it is necessary to identify at risk patients for suicide and train, psychologist and psychiatrists for these provinces.

Background: Criminal behavior that is synonym with crime and misdemeanor is a voluntary action and the person who does it, knows himself/herself authorized to commit in the given situation. It is a behavior inconsistent with common values and norms. Personality, as a psychological variable that can affect all human behaviors in personality and social life, sometimes makes a person and those around him facing a serious problem as a result of maladaptive traits. Among personality disorders, antisocial personality disorder has been studied more than others; a repetitive and persistent pattern of criminal behavior, which is antisocial or criminal and begins in childhood or early adolescence which encompasses all aspects of life. This study investigated the relationship between personality characteristics and patterns of parents child abuse with criminal mischief and criminal behavior among prisoners.Moreover, social and environmental factors in criminal behavior were investigated.Methods: This research has correlation methods. All offenders have been arrested for their criminal behavior and kept in a prison in Kermanshah in 1390 were the statistical community. In a random sampling, 59 subjects were selected and Eysenck personality test EPQ, personality scale SCID-II and the scale of child abuse between parent and child conflict tactics measure were implemented. Data analysis was performed by SPSS-18 software. Statistical methods were Pearson’s correlation and regression.Findings: Men (100 percent) were the perpetrators of this study.93.2% had not academic education, 74.6% were married and economically 56.6% were below the average. The results of relationship between child abuse and antisocial personality had a significant relationship so, child abuse could predict antisocial personality. There was a relationship between EPQ personality type with antisocial personality.Conclusion: Based on results, it is found that defective and poor family relations, dishonest tactics traits, such as exclusion and lack of proper care, beatings, deprivation of love, child abuse and violence could cause sense of insecurity and anxiety, negative self-concept and malice toward others and criminal behavior. That is anti-social behavior and crime eventually take place. Thus, we should be careful to negative experiences in childhood and their association with antisocial behavior and crime in adulthood. Lack of academic education and poverty can also be effective factors in performance of a crime. Personality is also a major factor in a criminal behavior and has a decisive role in performance of a crime.

Introduction: Age estimation in adults, over the age of 25 years, is a continuous forensic challenge. Before 24 years old, age estimation could be done based on resorbtion of primary teeth, developing permanent teeth and eruption of teeth. Demirgian’s and Gustafson’s Methods have also encountered problems. The aim of this study was age estimation by clinical examination and panoramic radiography using decayed, filled and missing teeth (DMF Index) in patients between 24-65 years old.Methods: This analytic descriptive study composed of 120 patients referred to dental clinic of Iran Petroleum Company. Decayed, filled and missing teeth were evaluated using panoramic radiography. Because of the limitations of radiographs in demonstrating decayed teeth, clinical examination was done too. Finally the relationship between chronological age and dependent variables evaluated using statically tools.Findings: Result of this study indicated that there is a direct relation between chronological age and all variables except filled teeth. This relation between age and missing teeth and DMF Index was high.Conclusion: Although, there is an acceptable relationship between chronological age and some variables, these are dependent in different factors like personal hygiene, individual circumstances, social, economical and cultural condition too; So, this method is not suitable for age estimation singly. But, it could be used as an adjunct method for age estimation.

Background: Self-poisonings are the suicidal methods that have a high prevalence in the world. One of the age groups in which suicidal attempt, especially self-poisoning, are high is adolescent. So, in this study, we intend to survey the cases and factors of self-poisoning in the main center of poisoning in Kermanshah province, Imam Khomeini hospital, among the adolescents who have 15-20 years old.Method: This Study was a cross sectional in which all 15-20 years, who referred to the province poisoning center due to self- poisoning in 2011 were examined. In need information were got in two ways: using patients files and a face to face interview. A group of psychology experts who were not aware and had a work background assisted. Then a statistical package of SPSS, (version 19), chi-square and independent T-test were used for data analysis.Findings: In 2011, 321 young people among 15-20 years old referred to Imam Khomeini hospital in Kermanshah; Of which, 123 (38%) were boys and 198 (62%) were girls.180 persons (58%) refrain from continuing education, among them, boys were more 119 (66%). On the other hand, 62 of boys (51%) and 162 of girls 84% had conflict with one of their relatives or families. They said that their suicidal attempt was due to involvement with them.Conclusion: As most people that attempted to do suicide by poisoning, refrain from continuing education or suffer from lack of parents, It could be concluded that the school and family as, the most important educational systems in decreasing suicide attempts, play a prominent role.

Background: Crimes committed by psychotic patients are common events. Schizophrenic and bipolar disorder are two important categories in psychotic patients who committed crimes during the acute phase of their disorder. This study was performed to evaluate the kind and comparison of crimes between these two groups of patients.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder who had showed violence and referred to the department of forensic psychiatry in Legal Medicine Organization of Iran, were studied from April 2007 to April 2008. History taking & diagnosis based on DSM- IV-TR diagnostic criteria were done. The information was recorded in the questionnaire.Findings: In this study, 100 patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were evaluated.60 patients with schizophrenia and 40 patients with bipolar disorder were being evaluated in terms of sex, marital status, age, education level, type of offense, previous offenses, duration of illness, psychotic protests and history of alcohol, drug and psychotropic substances abuse. In terms of using psychotropic substances, psychotic protests and crime instrument, there were significant differences between patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.Conclusion: The crime rate is much higher in patients with bipolar disorder than schizophrenia. Crime rates in these patients were higher in men, single and undergaduate. Most patients had no intention to commit a crime and it was based on their illusions. There was no significant difference between intention to commit a crime in two groups of patients. Most of these patients, especially schizophrenic group had a history of crime and first-degree relatives were harassed more. Single males who were undergraduate and suffered from bipolar or schizophrenic disorders, should be at special attention in terms of committing a crime. It also seems that teaching patients with schizophrenia who have a history of crime commitment and their families, could be effective in reducing crimes.

Background: Unsafe abortion is still considered as one of the maternal mortalities in developing countries. It’s difficult to get information in countries that induced abortion is forbidden. The purpose of this study was the evaluation of causes and methods of illegal abortion in outpatients.Method: In this study the women who came to the clinic of Kermanshah medical university between April 2011 till March 2012 were evaluated. Demographic data, cause of abortion, method of contraception and the setting were documented. The information were evaluated with SPSS 17 software after editing.Findings: The average pregnancy age was 7.34±2.54 weeks. The most important cause of abortion in women below 29 years was the short interval from the previous pregnancy (45.5%, 22 cases), and in women older than 29 years was having enough children (70.2%, 33 cases). None of the women had used the emergency contraception methods.Conclusion: Abortion was more observed in women with high education and mostly done by midwiferies in clinics. Suction curettage and vaginal misoprostol were used more. The most important motivation of abortion was the unwillingness to have more children and the short interval between pregnancies.

Introduction: Ischemic heart disease is easily the most common cause of sudden death. Pheochromocytom is a rare catecholamine-releasing tumor, composed of chromaffin cells and is a rare cause of sudden death.Case Presentation: In this paper, a case of sudden death due to a pheochromocytoma in an apparently healthy 22-year old woman is presented. In autopsy, no abnormality was found in her heart and other organs; just, a pheochromacytoma.Conclusion: In case of sudden death, the pathologist’s attention is usually toward the heart. This case underlines that it is necessary to perform a complete and accurate autopsy also, looking for alterations in other organs, besides heart, that could explain the death.