Pecha Kucha Abstract Submission

Presentation

Presentation Title:

Author Information:

Abstract:

Suicide remains a significant global public health concern. Despite rising suicide rates, limited research in the Indian context has systematically reconstructed the psychological circumstances preceding suicide deaths. Psychological autopsy, a retrospective investigative method that reconstructs the deceased's psychological state through informant interviews and collateral records, provides a valuable approach for understanding the complex interplay of factors contributing to suicide. The present study examined the case of Vikram using a psychological autopsy case study framework to reconstruct the psychosocial contexts preceding his death by suicide. Vikram ingested poison (Nuvan) on 31 October 2023 and died from its effects on 01 November 2023. Data was collected through 4 sources: semi structured interviews with 2 informants, 1 letter by Vikram (addressed to his wife), 1 suicide note (addressed to his mother) by Vikram, and 2 call recordings, as retrieved. Informed consent was obtained from all informants, and Vikram's letter and suicide note were voluntarily provided by his family for research. The study was conducted following the IRB approval from NFSU, Delhi (IEC No. NFSU-DC/EC/045/2026), with identifying details anonymized to protect informant confidentiality. Interviews were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis, Letter and Suicide Note using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis and call recordings using Layered-Voice Analysis. Findings revealed complementary perspectives across sources: informant accounts offered a retrospective view of Vikram's emotional state; his letter and suicide note provided direct first-person insight into his psychological state before death; and call recordings illuminated the interpersonal dynamics that shaped his final weeks. Triangulating these sources highlighted convergences between how Vikram's distress was perceived by others and how he himself experienced and expressed it, offering a layered, contextually grounded account of the psychosocial context preceding his suicide. Therefore, the study generates contextually grounded insights into suicide in the Indian sociocultural context and demonstrates the value of multi-source triangulation in psychological autopsy research.
Keywords: Suicide, Psychological Autopsy, Case Study, Layered Voice Analysis

Biography of the Presenting Author

Full name:

Position / Department / Organisation / Country:

Biography:

Contact information (email and mobile number):

Presentation Category:

Author Category:

Name for the Certificate:

Submit New Abstract