L’autopsie psychologique : un exercice scientifique ou un art divinatoire ?

Abstract

Psychological autopsy has been added to the psychiatrist's diagnostic toolbox since his creation in the United States in the late 1950s. However, we wonder about the scientific validity of this method. Therefore, we trace the history of its creation, before pointing out the methodological flaws and defects: we maintain that 1) it is impossible to diagnose a mental disorder in a deceased person by interviewing relatives and acquaintances, 2) that the scientific literature supporting the validity of the method does not demonstrate that it is possible to respond scientifically to point 1 and 3) that the association between depression and suicide is an artifact introduced by the methodological flaws of the studies on psychological autopsy. We finally show that its use today exceeds the objective of its creators.