Background: The goal was to examine tattooing in suicides, as tattoos have
been associated with several risk factors for suicide. Method: A chart revi
ew of a three-year sample of 134 consecutive suicides in Mobile County, Ala
bama, was conducted. The prevalence of tattoos was compared between young (
< 30) white suicides and accidental deaths matched for age, gender and rac
e, in a case-control study. Results: Tattoos were found in 21% of suicides.
Fifty-seven percent of young white suicides were tattooed compared to 29%
of matched accidental deaths. Limitations: Findings are preliminary due to
the small sample size. The study methodology precluded obtaining informatio
n of psychiatric diagnoses prior to death. Conclusions: Tattoos may be poss
ible markers for lethality from both suicide and accidental death in young
people, presumably because of shared risk factors such as substance abuse a
nd personality disorder. Affective disorders should receive further, more s
pecific studies. The clinical value of inquiring about tattoos in young peo
ple at risk of suicide needs further study. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
All rights reserved.