Profile of suicidal hanging presented to a tertiary care hospital

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Introduction Hanging is a common method of suicide. When a body is found suspended, the Forensic pathologist is expected to give an opinion on the manner of death excluding or confirming possible criminal involvement. It is easy to arrive at a conclusion when one finds 'classical features'. However it is a dilemma when there are atypical findings in addition to the typical. A ctiv e s: The aim of the study was to analyze the autopsy findings in deaths due to hanging and to have an insight into the typical and atypical findings in order to appreciate the difficulties in interpretation. Methods A retrospective descriptive study was conducted on the post mortem records of the victims °f hanging during last 3 years (2013- 2015) brought to a tertiary care hospital. The historical details, scene findings, findings of autopsy examinations including post-mortem mvestigations were analysed using a pro-forma. Results 112 rec°rds of deaths due to suicidal hanging were perused and 97 (86.6%) out of them Were males. 37% of the victims were of the age group of 21 to 40 years. 79.5% were