“I’d rather kill myself than him kill me”: examining trends in suicide by victims of domestic abuse in domestic homicide reviews

Purpose Domestic abuse continues to present a public health risk in England and Wales, resulting in one woman killed every five days, and costing health, social care and criminal justice systems. This study aims to present findings from a review of 58 Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs). Design/methodology/approach The review analysed 58 DHRs in detail in which the victim had died by suicide. The review identified patterns or commonalities between the victims and alleged perpetrators. Findings The review found that most victims had experienced psychological or emotional abuse, and/or coercive and controlling behaviour. In total, 89.7% had experienced physical abuse and 36.2% had experienced non-fatal strangulation. More than half of victims had voiced suicidal ideation to a professional prior to their deaths and 94.8% of victims had told at least one professional that they were being abused. Almost half of victims had left the relationship in the 6 months prior to their death. Originality/value This review contributes to the growing knowledge base around domestic abuse related suicide. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is the first to use suicide-related DHRs to analyse similarities between victims.