This is a sub-page in the "Suicide
and Attempted Suicide: Methods and Consequences" website. If you want to get
back to the main page, click here.
Suicide and other traumatic injury photos and drawings. Warning:
Gory!
Organized alphabetically by method. Source: found on the web, unless
otherwise noted. If this is your material, please let me know whether you want
to be credited, have the item removed, or some other alternative.
Why pictures?
Some things can't be adequately described in words. If that doesn't answer
your question, try: To inform would-be suicides---people should know what
they're getting into.
Why these pictures?
Some of them are poor quality (generally scans of photocopies of
not-very-good medical images), but may still illustrate the intended
point/information. They will be replaced if, when, and as I find others. Feel
free to send better ones to me, or point me to them.
Why so many pictures?
Part of what I'm trying to do is to show potential suicides what's likely to
happen. I really don't know if "more" is better, worse, or irrelevant for that
purpose, but I'd rather err on the side of too much than too little.
Why so gory?
If anything, many of the photos are not graphic enough, as a number of them
were cleaned up for their original forensic purpose, and they are less realistic
for "what-might-happen-if-you-do-this" purposes.
Why not only suicide pictures?
While I'm trying to show the effects of suicide attempts, the physical
results are similar to homicide or accident by the same
means. In addition, many of the trauma images found on the web don't specify
suicide/homicide/accident.
Cuts and stabs
- Bandsaw cut, suicide.
- Cuts, self-inflicted but not suicidal intent.
- Decapitation by train wheel.
- Multiple stab wounds, suicide.
- Multiple stab wounds, homicide.
- "The Victim"
- "The Suspect"
- Throat cut, suicide.
- Throat cut, suicide, 2.
- Throat cut, suicide, 3.
- Throat cut.
- Wrist cuts, suicidal.
- Wrist cuts, suicidal, 2.
- Wrist cuts, survived.
Guns
- Contact gunshot wound to the head.
- Contact gunshot wound to the head,
2.
- Contact gunshot wound showing pattern of
gun barrel.
- Contact gunshot wound to the head,
showing unburned gunpowder.
- Distribution of sites of suicidal gunshot
wounds to the head in Seattle [Eisele, 1981].
- Gunshot suicide.
- Gunshot to head, suicide.
- Gunshot to head, suicide, 2.
- Gunshot to mouth, suicide.
- Gunshot to mouth.
- Gunshot to head.
- Gunshot to head, 2.
- Gunshot to head from high-powered
pistol.
- High-powered rifle bullet to the
head.
- Initial surgical reconstruction following
shotgun wound to the head, suicide attempt.
- Multiple-entrance gunshot wounds.
- Pinch marks on hand of suicide that
cleared her boyfriend of murder indictment.
- "Blowout" shotgun wound, suicide.
- Shotgun wound to the head, suicide
attempt.
- Shotgun wound to the head, suicide
attempt, 2.
- Shotgun wound, entrance under chin.
- Shotgun wound, entrance under chin, 2.
- Shotgun wound to the head,
homicide.
- Shotgun wound to the head, suicide.
- Shotgun wound to the head.
- Two shotgun wounds to the head,
suicide.
Hanging
- Death of elderly man due to pressure on
his neck from a chair.
- Hanging of Anne Green, ca. 1650,
contemporary woodcut [Hughes, 1982].
- Hanging, 1.
- Hanging, 2.
- Hanging, 3.
- Hanging, 4.
- Hanging, 5.
- Hanging, 6.
- Hanging, 7.
- Hanging, 8. Note pooled blood in
hands, arms, and chin.
- Hanging, 9.
- Hanging, 10. Note pooled blood in hands
and arms.
- Hanging, 11.
- Knot positions commonly found in suicidal
hanging [Simonsen, 1988].
- Ligature marks on neck after hanging.
- Ligature marks on back of neck after
hanging; knot toward face.
- Accidental strangulation of child by toy
telephone cord.
- Suicidal strangulation, despite
tracheotomy hole in neck below ligature,
Back to
the top of this page