Neuropsychological profile following suicide Attempt by hanging in Botswana: Three case reports

Abstract

Botswana police suicide statistics reported a total of 783 cases of both attempted and completed suicide in one year. Attempted hanging usually results in severe memory disturbances but that these amnesic states usually are only temporary. While  there is a considerable amount of early German-language literature on the neurological and neuropsychological consequences of unsuccessful attempts by hanging ,by the early 1990’s , only two cases of attempted hanging had been reported In the  English language as the cause of a persistent anterograde amnestic syndrome resembling that seen in Korsakoffs syndrome. We present three cases we believe to be the first reported cases of amnesic syndromes in Botswana following unsuccessful attempts by hanging in three male adults.

Key words: Attempted suicide, Amnesic states, Botswana, Korsakoff ’s syndrome