Annotated Bibliography On Psychological Autopsies

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Running head: CONDUCTING PSYCHOLOGICAL AUTOPSIES Conducting Psychological Autopsies: An Annotated Bibliography Anthony S. Ragusea Richard W. Sears Wright State University Conducting Psychological Autopsies: An Annotated Bibliography Psychological autopsies are a relatively recent phenomenon. Although authors disagree as to when the first autopsy was done, estimates do not go back earlier than the 1950’s. It was not until the late 1960’s with Edwin Shneidman’s work on the subject at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center did the practice become more recognized and popular. Proponents believe autopsies are of critical importance when determining the cause of an equivocal death (one where…show more content…
T. O. (1999). Life events in suicide and undetermined death in south-east Scotland: A case-control study using the method of psychological autopsy. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34(12), 645-650. This article is merely a scientific study using psychological autopsies. The author found that people who committed suicide had significantly more adverse life events than a group of living controls. Both groups were matched for severity of mental disorders. The findings are interesting, but the article has no information about how to conduct a psychological autopsy. Clark, D. C., & Horton-Deutsch, S. L. (1992). Assessment in absentia: The value of the psychological autopsy method for studying antecedents of suicide and predicting future suicides. In Maris, R. W., Berman, A. L., Maltsberger, J. T., & Yufit, R. I. (Eds.). Assessment and prediction of suicide (pp. 144-182). New…show more content…
This research experiment looked at the effectiveness of a specific protocol for contacting potential interviewees in a psychological autopsy. They used a method based on early contact after the suicide, interviewing over the phone at that initial contact, and with all the interviews conducted by the same researcher. The timing of contacting relatives is a controversial topic, and this study concluded that the best timing was 2-3 weeks after the suicide. This contrasts with other authors, who may argue anywhere from 1 to 6 months. The study also found that the telephone was the most ethical and practical format for contacting and interviewing relatives, based on such information as the interviewees stated reactions to the process. In terms of practice, this article provides compelling data to encourage investigators to follow this protocol when initiating
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