Epidemiology of Self-immolation Among patients Referring to Ayatollah Mousavi Hospitali in Zanjan, Between 2016 and the First Six Months of the Year 2018

Introduction: Self-immolation is one of the methods of suicide that is common among people in the society. Examining the extent and factors of its causes can help us to recognize this phenomenon. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology of self-immolation among patients referring to Ayatollah Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan between 2016 and the first six months of the year 2018.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study. The study population included all people committed suicides in self-immolation referring to Ayatollah Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan between 2016 and the first six months of the year 2018.The type of information collected was based on library books and it was done by reading files. The data were analyzed by SPSS software version 18 in terms of abundance and descriptive analysis.Results: Totally, 12 patients suffered from self-immolation, of which 9 were male (75%) and 3 were female (25%), with an average age of 29/42 ± 9/85. 7 were single (58.3%) and 5 (41.7%) were married. Six (50%) of these people had elementary education, 3 (25%) were illiterate, 2(16.7%) had a diploma and one person (8.3%) had a university degree. Four people (33.3%) had self-immolation without any reason, and the rest committed it due to mental problems such as depression, family problems, and addiction. Of these 12 people, 3 died, 3 were sent to specialized burning centers and 6 were fully treated. Overall, in the first six months of this year, the burn rate (59.4%) was higher than the second six months in all years.Discussion and Conclusion: According to the present study and the rate of self-immolation in Iranian society, prevention and intervention measures are needed to address this problem at the community level, which it would need to train people at the community level to promote health and mental well-being.