Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention

Vallejo-Sánchez, Beatriz; Solano-Pinto, Natalia; Huertes-Del Arco, Ana; Muñoz, Valeriano; Casillas, Mónica; Arroyo, Carolina; Moreno, Fernando

doi:10.3390/bs16010007

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Open AccessArticle

Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention

by

Beatriz Vallejo-Sánchez

^1,2,3,4,*

,

Natalia Solano-Pinto

^2,5

,

Ana Huertes-Del Arco

^4,6

,

Valeriano Muñoz

⁷,

Mónica Casillas

⁸,

Carolina Arroyo

⁹ and

Fernando Moreno

¹⁰

¹

Central Services of the Castilla-La Mancha Health Service (SESCAM), 45007 Toledo, Spain

²

Health, Education and Society Research Group, Health Research Institute of Castilla La Mancha (IDISCAM), 45071 Toledo, Spain

³

Faculty of Languages and Education, Nebrija University, 28043 Madrid, Spain

⁴

School of Health Sciences and Education, Open University of Madrid (UDIMA), 28400 Madrid, Spain

⁵

Department of Psychology, University of Castilla La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain

⁶

Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatments, Faculty of Psychology, National University of Distance Education (UNED), 28040 Madrid, Spain

⁷

Forensic Pathology Section, Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Toledo, 45003 Toledo, Spain

⁸

Pathology Service, Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Albacete, Cuenca, and Guadalajara, 02001 Albacete, Spain

⁹

Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Toledo, 45003 Toledo, Spain

¹⁰

Clinical Service, Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Albacete, Cuenca, and Guadalajara, 02001 Albacete, Spain

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010007 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 31 October 2025 / Revised: 10 December 2025 / Accepted: 15 December 2025 / Published: 19 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Suicidal Behaviors: Prevention, Intervention and Postvention)

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Abstract

Suicide is a major public health concern worldwide, and identifying the spatial patterns associated with its occurrence is essential for designing effective preventive strategies. This study aimed to identify and characterize suicide locations in two provinces of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, using a descriptive and retrospective analysis of 421 cases recorded by the Institutes of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Toledo and Albacete between 2020 and 2024. Locations were classified as critical or non-critical based on recurrence and public accessibility, and logistic regression was used to explore predictors of suicide in public settings. Results showed that 82% of cases involved men, yielding a 5:1 male-to-female ratio that exceeds the national average; the mean age was 56.6 years, and hanging was the most frequent method (56.1%). Most suicides occurred in private environments, and only one location met the criteria for a critical site. These findings indicate that spatial clustering plays a minimal role in the regional suicide burden and that prevention efforts should prioritize means restriction and early detection in private settings, along with broader measures for dispersed public cases rather than hotspot-focused interventions. The study underscores the importance of systematically incorporating spatial information into forensic records to improve regional suicide surveillance and inform more targeted, context-sensitive prevention policies.

Keywords: suicide prevention and control; risk factors; forensic medicine; epidemiological surveillance; public health; descriptive epidemiology

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MDPI and ACS Style

Vallejo-Sánchez, B.; Solano-Pinto, N.; Huertes-Del Arco, A.; Muñoz, V.; Casillas, M.; Arroyo, C.; Moreno, F. Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010007

AMA Style

Vallejo-Sánchez B, Solano-Pinto N, Huertes-Del Arco A, Muñoz V, Casillas M, Arroyo C, Moreno F. Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(1):7. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010007

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vallejo-Sánchez, Beatriz, Natalia Solano-Pinto, Ana Huertes-Del Arco, Valeriano Muñoz, Mónica Casillas, Carolina Arroyo, and Fernando Moreno. 2026. "Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 1: 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010007

APA Style

Vallejo-Sánchez, B., Solano-Pinto, N., Huertes-Del Arco, A., Muñoz, V., Casillas, M., Arroyo, C., & Moreno, F. (2026). Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention. Behavioral Sciences, 16(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010007

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Identification and Analysis of Critical Suicide Sites and Factors in Castilla-La Mancha (2020–2024): Forensic and Healthcare Collaboration for Prevention

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