Psychological autopsy of staged suicide and autoerotic death scenes
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Authors
Bayless, Eugene T.
Issue Date
2011
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic science
Alternative Title
Abstract
E.F. Shneidman is credited for coining the term psychological autopsy to classify drug related deaths as either suicide or accidents. Psychological autopsies are semi-structured interviews with primary and secondary informants to examine the psychological state and circumstances surrounding the death and to reduce equivocal deaths. In addition to the semi-structured interview format, items of evidentiary value include medical, psychological, employment and academic records; personal journals; suicide notes; computer hard drives; coroner and police reports. The objective of the psychological autopsy is to confirm the manner of death as either homicide, suicide, natural, accidental, or unknown. The major weaknesses of the psychological autopsy are its lack of a standardized procedure and its inability to stand against the Daubert standard due to the lack of information they provide to a trial or case. However, much can be gained from the psychological autopsy including information that could prevent future deaths as well as identifying suicidal behaviors of adolescents and predicators of autoerotic sexual practices. The application of a psychological autopsy as evidence in the courtroom includes probate, insurance, workers’ compensation, and criminal cases. That said, psychological autopsy’s dependence on guidelines and checklists and lack of a formal research method inhibit its use in the forensic investigation and admission at trial.