Psychological Autopsy has increased interest after the politicisation of the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput by suicide. The psychological autopsy (PA) is a procedure that assists in exploration and categorisation of deaths in which the means (e.g., suicide, accident, other) is uncertain or not immediately clear. The procedure involves a thorough and systematic retrospective analysis of the decedent’s life, with a particular focus on suicide risk factors, motives, and intentions.

Edwin Schneidman, coined the term “psychological autopsy” and defined as “a thorough retrospective investigation of the intention of the decedent.” It is a postmortem investigative procedure requiring the identification and assessment of suicide risk factors present at the time of death, with the goal of enabling a determination of the manner of death to as high a degree of certainty as possible.

In the wake of recent events, a comprehensive investigation has been launched involving CBI, Forensic Experts and other stakeholders.

According to the NDTV report, the psychological autopsy of Sushant Singh Rajput will be carried out by the CBI’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) team. The report describes the process as ‘postmortem of mind’, the CFSL team will conduct a detailed study of every aspect of Rajput’s life – from his social media posts to his mood swings to his conversations with family members and friends.