What Is A Psychological Autopsy?

A psychological autopsy is a forensic technique that aims to determine or specify the causes of a suicide. In some cases, experts use the method to confirm whether a person’s death can actually be classified as suicide. However, it is a relatively new field that was not systematically applied until the 2000s.

The term psychological autopsy was coined in the 1950s, in works by Shneidman and Farberow. Edwin S. Shneidman was an American clinical psychologist who studied suicide and tanatology (the doctrine of death and dying). Together with Norman Farberow and Robert Litman, he founded the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center in 1958 .

However, the idea of ​​a psychological autopsy had already come up in the 1920s in the United States. After the period of time that became known as the Great Depression, a wave of suicides was experienced in the country. This kind of epidemic attracted the attention of many researchers who tried to find common causes for suicide. But it was not until Shneidman and Farberow that the concept became entrenched.

What is a psychological autopsy about?

What experts do in a psychological autopsy is an indirect and retrospective reconstruction of the deceased person’s life and personality. It is an investigative work that aims to determine the circumstances and causes that led a person to commit suicide.

In general, it has two main objectives. The first is of a forensic nature; the other of an epidemiological nature. A psychological autopsy is prescribed as part of a criminal investigation and as a tool to supplement the forensic autopsy. Experts almost always use this method in cases where the cause of death is uncertain.

From an epidemiological point of view, it is a tool that aims to gather relevant information in order to be able to determine behavioral expressions, circumstances, motivations, etc. All of these data should be able to facilitate the identification of common risk factors, with the aim of preventing or preventing future suicides.

This tool is also used, albeit to a lesser extent, for other purposes. It can e.g. This is about establishing the legal validity of various measures taken by someone before their death, such as the signing of documents.

Other applications can e.g. be to assess whether any mistakes have been made towards persons who have undergone medical or psychological treatment, to build up psychological profiles and to establish criminological categories.

Research tools

This type of autopsy mainly uses three tools: analysis of the crime scene, collection of psychological fingerprints and interviews with the victim’s relatives.

• The analysis of the crime scene provides important clues about the case as a whole. The method chosen, the placement of objects around the dead body and other similar elements can provide valuable information.
• The collection of psychological fingerprints involves the collection of letters, messages, diaries and any other documents or data that can help to either establish a psychological profile of the victim or clarify the circumstances surrounding his death.
• The interviews with the victim’s relatives  also serve to gather information about the victim’s personality or motivations for committing suicide. This is one of the most controversial procedures in the psychological autopsy, as it is extremely difficult to determine what factors may be behind a suicide.

Protocol for psychological autopsy

There are several protocols that can be applied when performing a psychological autopsy. One of the most common, however, is the MAPI model, created by Teresita García Pérez. She is a Cuban doctor and her method has proven to be very practical and functional. The word MAPI refers to the four basic aspects that the experts examine. They are as follows:

• M-Mental. In this phase, they analyze skills and cognitive abilities, which i.a. judgment, cognition, intelligence, memory and attention.
• A- Affective. Here, the experts look for signs of any affective syndromes, such as depression.

• P-Psychosocial. This aspect examines the circles of friends the victim has surrounded himself with during his life.
• I-Human Relations (Interpersonal). In this last part, they determine how the person used to relate to their immediate surroundings.

According to the protocol , the first step should be to work with the place of death. There you can look for psychological fingerprints, signs and indications that point to the circumstances surrounding the suicide.

The investigators then conduct structured interviews with three people who were close to the victim, on the basis of 60 different aspects or factors. These interviews take place one to six months after the death.

Finally, an interdisciplinary analysis is performed that involves a psychologist, a doctor and at least one criminologist. An expert then compiles their report, which is of a probability-based nature. This report determines the cause of death based on a specific code (NASH – Natural, Accidental, Suicide, or Homicide – code), which stands for “natural”, “accident”, “suicide” or “murder”. The possible causes of death are then registered.