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Research on suicide and homicide rates has neglected an integrated model seeking to explain social variation in the direction of lethal violence. The present investigation explores the association between measures of social deprivation on the relative incidence of suicide over homicide in Italian provinces. Data refer to official government sources on lethal violence rates and measures of social deprivation. The central dependent variable (SHR) is the tendency towards suicide measured as the suicide rate divided by the sum of the suicide and homicide rates. Data were available for 102 Italian provinces in the Census year 2001. The percentage of the population marked by two indicators of deprivation (low education, household population density) were negatively associated with the SHR. The results are largely consistent with a stream of previous research that connects deprivation with a relatively high probability for disadvantaged populations to direct aggression outwardly in the form of homicide rather than inwardly in the form of suicide. The present study specifies which elements of deprivation best predict the direction of violence and is the first study for the Italian context.

A dataset of 73 variables was complied on 345 serial killers, 31 of whom who engaged in cannibalism. A distinction was made between those who engaged only in cannibalism, those who engaged in necrophilia, and those who engaged in both or neither. Those who engaged in both cannibalism and necrophilia were the most psychiatrically disturbed and deviant, but those who engaged in only cannibalism were more disturbed and deviant in their actions than those who engaged in neither behavior.

In an analysis of 105 incidents of workplace violence in the USA from 1982 to 2002, the murderers who killed themselves after the incident killed more victims than those arrested. The workplace violence occurring at schools resulted in significantly more injured victims, but not more deceased victims.

The objective was to evaluate correlations between suicide, homicide and socio-demographic variables by an ecological study. Mortality and socio-demographic data were collected from official records of the Ministry of Health and IBGE (2010), aggregated by state (27). The data were analyzed using correlation techniques, factor analysis, principal component analysis with a varimax rotation and multiple linear regression. Suicide age-adjusted rates for the total population, men and women were 5.0, 8.0, and 2.2 per 100,000 inhabitants respectively. The suicide rates ranged from 2.7 in Pará to 9.1 in Rio Grande do Sul. Homicide for the total population, men and women were 27.2, 50.8, and 4.5 per 100,000, respectively. The homicide rates ranged from 13.0 in Santa Catarina to 68.9 in Alagoas. Suicide and homicide were negatively associated, the significance persisted among men. Unemployment was negatively correlated with suicide and positively with homicide. Different socio-demographic variables were found to correlate with suicide and homicide in the regressions. Suicide showed a pattern suggesting that, in Brazil, it is related to high socioeconomic status. Homicide seemed to follow the pattern found in other countries, associated with lower social and economic status.

Aims: This ecological comparison study explored temporal trends since 1985 in age-adjusted suicide and homicide rates for older male adults (over the age of 65) resident in the EU and the Russian Federation., Methods: The data were extracted from the World Health Organization's (WHO) European mortality database., Results: Older men resident in the Russian Federation had a higher risk of dying a violent death (by homicide and by suicide) than their younger compatriots (relative risks (RR) ranging from 1.13 to 1.31). Conversely, in the EU, older men had a higher risk of dying from suicide (RRs of 1.52 for men over the age of 65 and 3.27 for men over the age of 75) and a lower risk of being victims of homicide (RRs ranging between 0.84 and 0.89) than their younger compatriots., Conclusions: The European region is characterized by great inequalities in rates of violent deaths among the elderly.

In a sample of 483 serial killers, 6.2% were documented to have committed suicide. Those who committed suicide were found to come from more dysfunctional homes characterized by more psychiatric disturbance in the parents. The sexual acts involved in the murders by the suicides seemed to be more deviant in some aspects, such as committing more bizarre sexual acts or more often taping the murder., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In a sample of 20 European nations, the prevalence of the brain parasite Toxoplasma gondii was positively associated with national homicide rates, amplifying previous research indicating a positive association of Toxoplasma gondii with suicide rates. Possible causal mechanisms were proposed.

Provoking police officers to kill oneself or "suicide by cop" (SBC) has received scholarly as well as public attention. The extent to which film representations of SBC reflect SBC in society in relation to danger, depression, and other features was assessed in this study. Data on cinematic portrayals of SBC are from 16 American films; corresponding data on SBC in the real world are taken from 19 empirical studies. While the demographic features of SBC in the real world are largely reflected in film, major differences exist on motivations and incident characteristics. Motives for cinematic SBC were unlike SBC in society, wherein, respectively, 0% vs. 35% had attempted suicide in the past, 6% vs. 47% were chronically depressed, and 77% vs. 7% had recently killed someone. Cinematic SBC events disproportionately involve murderous, dangerous persons who are not depressed, and their deaths convey a sense of justice. While such media distortions can be profitable and entertain the audience, they also contribute to public misunderstandings of the nature of deviance and hinder the development of effective suicide and violence prevention programs., (© 2012 The American Association of Suicidology.)

Homicide-suicide is an event in which the murderer commits suicide after the homicide. There are at least 14 epidemiological studies on the topic, and all have found that homicide-suicide is more common among family members. The murderers are most often males and the victims females. There is no recent research on this phenomenon in Italy. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the incidence of homicide-suicide in Italy over a period of 24 yrs and to compare Italian data with published international data. We used information gathered by press agencies and from the four major Italian newspapers. Between 1985 and 2008, 662 cases of homicide-suicide were identified, with 1776 deaths. The murderer was male in 84.6% of the cases, typically using a firearm. The most common motivation was romantic jealousy, followed by socio-economic stress. The rate of homicide-suicide was 0.04%. Comparison with international studies is not always possible due to the lack of information for certain categories. The common factors identified may be helpful for prevention., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Serial killers have always fascinated society. A serial killer is typically defined as a perpetrator who murders three or more people over a period of time. Most reported cases of serial killers come from the United States and Canada. In India, there are few reported cases. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first Indian case in the literature. The present case is of a 28-year-old man, Surinder Koli. The Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delphi handled the forensic study. We present a most unique psychological investigation into the mind of a serial killer.

Homicide followed by suicide (H-S) is a lethal event in which an individual kills another individual and subsequently dies by suicide. This article presents a review of research carried out in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States of America over the past 60 years on the prevalence of mental illness among the perpetrators of H-S. Analysis of the available data indicated a great disparity in the results of the different studies. Overall, depression was the most frequent disorder reported (about 39% of the cases in the 20 studies that assessed depressive disorders), followed by substance abuse (about 20% in 10 studies) and psychosis (about 17% in 11 studies). This review, therefore, indicated that mental illness plays an important role in H-S. The prevention of these events depends on the identification and treatment of psychiatric disorder in potential perpetrators.

Movies and nightly television shows appear to emphasize highly efficient regimens in forensic science and criminal investigative analysis (profiling) that result in capturing serial killers and other perpetrators of homicide. Although some of the shows are apocryphal and unrealistic, they reflect major advancements that have been made in the fields of forensic science and criminal psychology during the past two decades that have helped police capture serial killers. Some of the advancements are outlined in this paper. In a study of 200 serial killers, we examined the variables that led to police focusing their attention on specific suspects. We developed 12 categories that describe how serial killers come to the attention of the police. The results of the present study indicate that most serial killers are captured as a result of citizens and surviving victims contributing information that resulted in police investigations that led to an arrest. The role of forensic science appears to be important in convicting the perpetrator, but not necessarily in identifying the perpetrator., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper describes for the first time the epidemiology of homicide-suicide events in the whole of the United States using archival data. From 1968 to 1975, there were 2215 homicide-suicide events out of 123,467 homicides. The mean rate of homicide-suicide events was 0.134 per 100,000 per year. The murderers in these events differ from the typical murderer and the typical suicide in socio-demographic characteristics. Details of the characteristics of this population may be valuable for understanding the circumstances of homicide-suicide events and planning preventive measures., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to examine the nature of homicide-suicides and determine the ways in which they differ from suicides without the perpetration of homicide in terms of their demographic characteristics, suicide, medical and psychiatric history, their psychological state leading up to the suicide, and their motives for their suicidal behavior. Cases of homicide-suicide from a 20-year period were extracted from the Coroner's inquest files and were matched to suicide-only cases on the basis of age and sex. The characteristics that predominantly distinguished the homicide-suicides were based on psychological state leading up to the act and motive for the act. It is proposed that homicide-suicides may be better understood within an expressive homicide framework., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

An analysis of the blog of a murder-suicide showed no similarities to previous analyses of the diary of a suicide.

In samples of organ donors, homicide victims had significantly more individuals with type O and type B than organ donors in general, while suicides did not differ.

Brief case descriptions from journalists are presented to illustrate the role of traumatic experiences, the sense of being a burden to their families, and shame and humiliation in female suicide bombers.

For 12 industrialized nations in 1965, suicide and homicide rates were not associated with the per capita use of DDT.

In a sample of 248 killers of two victims in America from 1900 to 2005, obtained from an encyclopedia of serial killers by Newton (2006), those completing suicide did not differ in sex, race, or the motive for the killing from those who were arrested.

A study of 30 cases of attempted suicide tried at the Old Bailey criminal court in London (England) from 1891 to 1913 indicated that having made prior attempts was the only predictor of the severity of the sentence. 22 individuals were tried for murdering or attempting to murder their child and also attempting suicide. None of the murderers but half of the attempted murderers were found not guilty, or guilty then released. Mothers used drowning more than did fathers and were more likely to be found not guilty.

IQs were correlated with the z score of suicide rate minus z score of homicide rate using nine regions of the world--established market economies, formerly socialized Europe, India, China, other Asian nations, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Middle East Crescent, and the USA. Correlations were .85 and .83 with crude rates and age-adjusted rates, respectively. The homicide findings are consistent with previous research in individual countries showing that less intelligent persons commit homicide more often. However, the present findings of a positive correlation between IQ and suicide rates are the opposite of what has been found in the more definitive studies within countries. Explanations for the apparent paradox and for the findings more generally were offered.

In the United States from 1977 to 1999, the suicide rate of death row inmates was not associated with their probability of execution (r = -.25).

In a sample of 18 industrialized nations with available data, mean scores on the "big five factors" were not significantly associated with national suicide or homicide rates.

A study of 98 lone, rampage killers in the United States from 1949 to 1999 found that those who were killed by police officers killed and wounded more victims than those who completed suicide who, in turn, killed or wounded more victims than those who were captured. Those rampage killers who completed suicide were less likely to be judged schizophrenic and more likely to be killing present or former co-workers.

In England and Wales from 1980 to 1987, the increasing homicide rate did not appear to be associated with an increase in the proportion of 15- to 24-yr.-olds.

The death toll for mass murders was higher when the murderer committed suicide and when the incident was elsewhere than the Americas and Europe.

Homicide rates in Canada have shown a decline since 1975, but there has been little empirical study of this trend. P. Holinger (1987) predicted and confirmed that the size of the cohort aged 15-24 in the United States population was associated with the rise and fall of the homicide rate in that country. This study was designed to test this hypothesis in Canada. The results show, even if one controls for other socio-economic variables, the most significant prediction of the decline was, indeed, the proportion of the youth population.

In a sample of 36 nations, suicide rates were negatively associated with a drug abuse index. Homicide rates were positively associated with a violent crime index.

Nations with high estimated mean IQ scores had higher suicide rates and lower homicide rates after control for gross domestic product was introduced, significantly in 1970 but not in 1980.

English murder rates for the period 1857-1988 were predicted by birth and marriage rates, giving an R2 of .89.

A measure of European-ness was not associated with suicide or homicide rates in a sample of 23 European nations in 1970.

In England and Wales, the suicide rate of murderers was positively associated with the male suicide rate in the general population, and both of these rates were positively associated with the unemployment rate.

Individualism ratings for 27 nations were not associated with suicide or homicide rates after controls for per capita gross domestic product.

In a sample of 15 industrialized nations, mean ratings of happiness were not significantly associated with suicide or homicide rates.

From 1901 to 1949 in England and Wales, the suicide rate of murderers was associated with the overall English suicide rate, and both rates had similar social correlates.

Homicide rates declined, but not significantly, after the passage of a law in Iceland legalizing the sale of strong beer.

A study of 81 incidents of rampage murders in the USA from 1988 to 1999 yielded no evidence for clustering.

The social correlates of state homicide rates in 1980 differed for urban, suburban, and rural areas.

In 1980, the correlates of unadjusted and age-adjusted national homicide rates differed, so the age-structure of nations should be controlled for in cross-national studies.

Hofstede's personality scores for workers in 50 nations were not associated with national homicide rates in 1980. Suicide rates were, however, negatively associated with power-distance scores.

The percentage of Finno-Ugrians in the population in 30 European nations in 1990 was not associated with the national homicide rates.

From 1976 to 1996, the proportion of murder incidents with 5 or more victims showed no linear trend or association with selected social indicators, e.g., birth rate, unemployment rate, and homicide rate.

Murder rates in the 16 German Bundeslander were associated with marriage, infant mortality, unemployment, and suicide rates and with population density.

Homicide rates, but not suicide rates, were associated with an index of collectivism for the states of America in 1992.

The accidental death rate from guns in Canada was associated with the percentage of guns used by suicides and on homicide victims except for elderly persons.

For 1960-1992, while divorce rates predicted the general homicide rates, neither divorce nor unemployment rates predicted the rates with which police killed civilians or civilians killed police.

A meta-analysis of regional correlates of homicide rates in 8 nations revealed consistent associations of homicide rates with divorce, suicide and unemployment rates, per capita income, and population size.

In a sample of 36 nations circa 1993, a measure of firearm availability based on the percentages of suicides and homicides using firearms gave better evidence for an association between firearm availability and their use for suicide and homicide than did the accidental firearm mortality rate.

For the period 1977-1992, the number of homicides in a state tended to decrease more often after a year of no executions than after a year with one or more executions, the opposite of a deterrent effect.

The social correlates of suicide rates by each method over time in the USA from 1950 to 1985 were very different, suggesting that suicides by different methods may not be sociologically identical behaviors. Homicide rates by each method, however, showed a more consistent pattern of social correlates.