The dead do speak

By Anthony Hegarty

A recent publication in the Psychiatric Times questioned the myth that there are more suicides during winter holiday periods such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. In fact, it was suggested that suicide rates are lower during these periods possibly due to the focus on family gatherings. As this report is based on U.S. research, I looked at Korean suicide data for 2011, 2012, and 2013 to see whether this assertion is true for Korea’s Chuseok holidays.

For 2011, the mean suicide rate was 1,326 per month; 2012 had an average of 1,180 monthly suicides and 2013 recorded 1,202 suicides per month. Interestingly only in 2013 was there a slight drop in the mean suicide rate during the Chuseok month of September with 1,157. In the Chuseok month for 2011, suicides increased to 1,365, and in 2012 rose to 1,195.

However, when I broke the mean data down to male and female, despite there being a slight increase for both gender suicides in the 2011 Chuseok month, there was a drop in male suicides in the Chuseok month of 2012 and an increase in female suicides. In 2013 there were decreases in suicides for both genders during the Chuseok month.

Interestingly, in 2012 and 2013, December had the lowest monthly totals and in 2011 the lowest monthly average was January (944) with December placed second (1,043) suggesting Christmas and the New Year might be a more positive period than Korea’s traditional Chuseok, which is held in warmer months.

But regardless of the time of year, suicide is a traumatic event for family and loved ones who tend to blame themselves for not recognising the problems sooner in order to provide assistance; and while the above data might strengthen the argument that the presence and involvement of family is very important to a healthy life, there are times when despite these strong bonds, suicides are still reported.

During a dinner meeting with a Korean lawyer friend of mine recently, he explained the challenges he had faced in dealing with families of the bereaved when representing insurance companies who do not pay out on suicides. He was actually quite surprised when I told him that there are deaths which are written off as suicides too quickly and not investigated as accidental deaths, such as auto-erotic fatalities. This is when a lone individual attempts to maximise his or her sexual experience through “controlled” asphyxiation. The scene is usually the deceased with a noose around his neck, hence the jump to the suicide conclusion.

However, upon closer examination the trained investigator will likely find padding around the neck to prevent scarring from the nose, often a towel, as well as release mechanisms built into the knots. What is more, the body is unlikely to be completely suspended allowing for the victim to control the level of pressure. The intended Hypoxia (partial deprivation of oxygen) takes place to attain the intended sexual pleasure. However, due to equipment failure or loss of control by the individual, apoxia (total oxygen deprivation) occurs resulting in death.

This form of accidental death also differs from suicide in that the activity takes place in a private area, perhaps within a locked room, to prevent being discovered. There might be a mirror placed in front of the individual and, in the case of males they might be wearing female garments. But a suicide is usually in a place where the deceased is likely to be found, often with a note.

Although the numbers of auto-erotic deaths are relatively low, when family members come across such incidents they sometimes tamper with the scene and redress the body to prevent the deceased from being humiliated in death, making the fatality appear as a suicide, which ironically denies them any insurance compensation.

Despite the embarrassment felt, it is in fact easier to deal with the death of a loved one who had a sexual fantasy resulting in an accidental death than it is to deal with an unexpected suicide with no note and forever blaming oneself.

The writer is a criminologist at MSc Criminology & Criminal Psychology living in Daegu. His email address is helios@discreet-services.com.