Abstract
Suicide pattern and sociodemographic description vary widely from country to country and a long time. The study presented updated data about magnitude and pattern of suicidal poisoning deaths and attempts in Alexandria, Egypt. A retrospective descriptive study was performed, by investigating autopsy and criminal laboratory reports of confirmed suicide cases by poisoning, in the Medicolegal Authority Alexandria department, and patients’ admission files at Alexandria Poison Centre (APC), Alexandria University, Egypt from January 2017 to December 2019. 4.9% of autopsies were suicidal deaths by self-poisoning. Significant increase in the annual rate of complete suicide by self-poisoning p < 0.001. 62.4% of complete suicide cases were from10-20 years. 67.3% of cases were females. 87.1% was from rural areas, 30.7% of cases were in secondary school. 43.6% of cases were unemployed. 69.3% was single. 96% of suicidal deaths were due to pesticides, 51.5% of them was due to Zinc phosphide. The highest percentage of cases was in spring (36.6%). 7205 cases (34.3%) were attempted suicides admitted to APC. 42% of them were from10-20 years, (74%) females and (72.7%) were from urban areas. Medications were mostly used for attempting suicide in (57.3%), followed by pesticides in 26.9% of cases. The highest percentage of cases were admitted in July (12.8%) then May (10.4%). In conclusion, complete suicide and suicide attempts by self-poisoning, in Alexandria, Egypt, were mostly in teenager females. The most common poisons used for attempting suicide were medications in urban regions. However, most deaths occurred due to pesticides in rural areas.