Firearm-related suicide in Tehran: a unique pattern

All cases of fireman-related suicides from 21 March 2002 through 21 March 2003 were identified by reviewing all medico-legal files at the Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) of Iran. These data led us to make an assessment of fireman-related suicide in Tehran, the capital of Iran to establish its pattern and compare this with other studies. During the 1-year study period, 27 fireman-related suicides were identified. Twenty-two (81.5%) cases had one entrance wound. Multiple entrance wounds were seen in 18.5% of the cases. The typical sites of entrance wound were the submentum (37%), chest (25.9%), center of the face (14.8%), and forehead (11.1%). All but four wounds were caused by contact or near-contact range shots. Interestingly, 96.3% of suicides occurred at the garrisons or police station. We concluded that attention should be given to the identification of those military personnel who are at risk for suicide, i.e., the detection and treatment of their psychologic disorders.