Nonterrorist suicides using hand grenades on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia, from 1990 to 2009

Abstract

Suicides using hand grenades are very rare. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the cases of nonterrorist suicides using hand grenades according to the number of cases per year, sex, age categories, season of the year, day of the week, ethanol blood level, type of hand grenade, pattern of injuries, risk factors, and suicide place over a 20-year period, from 1990 to 2009 in Vojvodina, Serbia. The total number of the cases in this period was 81, with the highest number of cases in 1997 and 2002. Twelwe victims were part of six double suicides, where one grenade was used to commit suicide to both victims. The results highlighted male predominance of the victims, sober state, the use of military hand grenades (M75 and M52 type), posttraumatic stress disorder due to participation in military clashes as the main risk factor, and countryside as the place of suicide. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.