What Is Psychological Autopsy? This Is Understanding, History, Methods, And Engineering

Illustration of case investigation (Unsplash)

YOGYAKARTA As an effort to investigate the suicide case, officers conducted a psychological autopsy. These efforts were carried out in various ways related to the victim's psyche. Then what is a psychological autopsy?

In general, an autopsy or autopsy is an investigation procedure carried out by the authorities in finding out things related to a person's death. Meanwhile, a psychological autopsy can be interpreted as an investigation procedure by officers regarding the death of a person which is reviewed from the psychological factors of the victim.

Psychological autopsy history has started since the 1920s in Paris, while in New York it started in the 1930s. At that time, related parties gathered information about suicide victims from various sources. Although it has been done for a long time, a new psychological autopsy was part of an investigation in the 1956s. At that time a psychological autopsy was used to investigate the cause of 134 suicides in St. Louis, United States.

Since then a psychological autopsy has been used to find out whether the victim really committed suicide or for other reasons such as murder but made as if he had committed suicide or other unintentional elements.

Psychological autopsy itself is carried out scientifically to determine the cause of death of the victim suspected of committing suicide. Psychological autopsy is also carried out to reconstruct the victim's emotional condition, personality, mind, and lifestyle.

In practice, psychological autopsy is carried out by involving various experts from multidisciplinary such as doctors, criminologists, to psychologists. After experts provide information and information, the results of the autopsy will be used by the police to conclude whether the victim really committed suicide or was murdered. This investigation is also used to find a bright spot in cases of the alleged suicide law that lack sufficient medical autopsy evidence.

In investigating the alleged suicide case, the psychological autopsy technique that is widely used and effective is MAPI by investigating several things, namely Mental, Emotional or Effective, Psychosocial, and Interpersonal. Here's the explanation.

The investigation refers to intelligence, memory, concern, assessment and cognition of victims. The data obtained will provide references to the victim's skills and cognitive abilities.

The investigation was carried out by analyzing the development and mood change of the victim to study the mental condition of the subject.

The focus is on the background of the victim since he was born, digging up childhood or adolescence. Investigations were also carried out by asking how the victim's relationship with the closest person and looking for major changes throughout the victim's life.

The focus of excavation is on the relationship between the subject and his family and friends. An investigation will be carried out by seeking information from close people with the deceased.

Quoted from various sources, in general there are two psychological autopsy procedures carried out in the investigation, namely as follows.

This interview session was conducted by officers to the family and the closest person to the victim after the officer received permission from the family. The interview process is conducted with standard clinical interviews. In addition, the interview must also be based on ethics such as not being carried out in an atmosphere of mourning so that the family is more and cooperative when the interview process is carried out.

Officers will collect various information related to medical history, psychology, psychiatric, and other things that are considered important. Officers will also interview professional health workers, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists or other professionals. In addition, the psychological autopsy investigation was carried out by more than two experts so that inter-rater reliability or inter-investigator assessment analysis can be carried out in order to avoid subjective bias.

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