The Psychological Autopsy

The best way to grasp the essence of death scene investigation (DSI) is to witness its application, called the psychological autopsy, by an expert forensic scientist/clinician. This remarkable book affords the opportunity to delve into the challenges that the forensic mental health specialist and public safety professional confront in DSI. Suicides, and often death, are complex, multidetermined events. People, whether police investigators or mental health professionals, are generally perplexed, and even confused, when they are confronted by the equivocal case. Was it a suicide? Homicide? Accident? These are critical questions. Dr. Leenaars shows that DSI is, however, not mysterious; the reader can learn the generally accepted, evidence-based protocols of the psychological autopsy. Illuminated by individual (idiographic) case studies and general (nomothetic) research, this definitive guide allows the investigator to uncover the bare bones of a suicide or death.

Antoon A. Leenaars, PhD, CPsych, CPQ, a mental health, public health, and forensic psychologist, has conducted influential research on death and suicide, and was the founding editor in chief of the journal Archives of Suicide Research. Dr. Leenaars has provided forensic services in cases of wrongful death, suicide, homicide-suicide, homicide, and accidents.