Suicides by jumping from Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul

Suicide methods may differ widely. One of these methods is jumping from a h eight. The people who choose a high bridge for jumping may be considered as a special group. In this study, we evaluated the demographic data, mortali ty rates and postmortem findings of individuals who jumped from the 64 m hi gh Bosphorus Bridge of Istanbul. For this purpose, we reviewed registration forms of two police centers on both sides of the bridge, court archives, a nd postmortem examination reports of the deceased for a period of 10 years between 1986 and 1995. During this period, 65 people had jumped from the Bosphorus Bridge of Istan bul. The mortality rate was 96.9%, as two individuals survived their suicid e attempt. The male/female ratio for attempts was 15:1 (61 males, four fema les) in this study in contrast to the male/female ratio of 1.6:1 for all su icidal cases in Turkey. The average age of subjects was 29.2 (median: 26, r ange: 16-54). The frequency was highest in the 15-24 age group with a rate of 38.4%. People who jumped from the bridge were younger than other reporte d cases of suicide. For all methods of suicide in Turkey 53.5% of subjects are under the age of 35. However, in our study, 75.8% of individuals who co mmitted suicide from the Bosphorus Bridge were under the age of 35. Unmarri ed people accounted for 56% of the individuals whose marital status was kno wn. 20.8% of the individuals whose employment status was known were unemplo yed. 59% of the cases whose education was known were high school graduates. The highest rate of suicide by jumping was in 1990, and occurred during th e fall and winter months, primarily between the hours of 24.00 and 06.00. T he Bosphorus Bridge is forbidden to pedestrians. Arrival method to the brid ge was by a taxicab in 53.3% of the cases. 91% of the recovered bodies had been discovered during the first 2 days of jumping. Positions on impact wit h the water were estimated according to external and internal injuries. Amo ng the cases in which the position of impact could be assessed by external and internal injury patterns, combined lateral and horizontal positions wer e most common. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.