Suicide by self-stabbing in the city of Tokyo--a review of accumulated data from 1976 to 1995.

Accumulated data of suicide by self-stabbing in the city of Tokyo (population: approx. 8.1 million. 1994) between 1976 and 1995 was reviewed. The overall numbers of suicides for each year were similar (min.: 1178, max.: 1620, 1346.9 on average), while the annual number of unusual death cases increased gradually (5399 in 1976 to 9226 in 1995). The annual number of suicides by self-stabbing fluctuated irregularly, but was generally low (2.3-4.7%) among modes of suicide. A significant difference was observed between the sex ratio in suicidal self-stabbing and that for all suicide; the male/female ratio is higher in suicidal self-stabbing than in suicides overall. The majority of fatally wounded body sites were in the neck, chest, abdomen, wrists and forearms. Marked differences according to sex were observed in terms of the implements employed for self-stabbing; craft knives, swords and recreational knives, fragments of glass, carpenter's tools and surgical knives were used almost exclusively by men, while more than 80% of women used kitchen knives or razors. No influence of psychiatric history on suicide by self-stabbing was proved.