Paraquat induced suicide in Southern Trinidad

ABSTRACT

The rate of suicide in Trinidad and Tobago is much greater than in most of its Caribbean neighbours and self poisoning is the most common form of suicidal gesture. Paraquat poisoning in particular has been identified as one of the main agents of completed suicide. We therefore reviewed the deaths due to suicide in 1996 in South Trinidad, which is the area of Trinidad with the greatest agricultural activity, in an attempt to characterize paraquat induced suicide in terms of demographic and aetiological features. Case notes and clinical interviews were reviewed in all deaths due to deliberate self harm for the year 1996 at the General Hospital, San Fernando, Trinidad. There were 48 cases of completed suicide for the year and 39 (81 percent) of these were due to paraquat poisoning, giving an incidence of 8 per 100,000 population. Among the males, 48 percent were in the 25-34 year age group (p<0.001) and among the females 50 percent were in the 15-24 year age group (p<0.05). Family of origin disputes and marital problems were the most cited precipitants (p<0.003). Individuals of East Indian descent accounted for 89 percent of the cases (p<0.001). Psychiatric diagnoses were made in 20 percent of the cases with depression being the most frequently identified condition. While the ingestion of paraquat was often accompanied by heavy alcohol dependence. These findings confirm that paraquat poisoning continues to be a very significant problem and that young East Indian individuals seem particularly likely to attempt suicide by this means.(AU)