[1][2][3] It was invented by American psychologists Norman Farberow and Edwin S. Shneidman during their time working at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center, which they founded in 1958.
[4][9] The procedure was influenced by Farberow and Shneidman’s time studying suicide notes from the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
[4] The psychological autopsy method was first used when Coroner Theodore J. Curphrey asked for the Suicide Prevention Center’s help in investigating a high number of drug-induced deaths.
[citation needed] The procedure was also used after Curphrey enlisted psychiatrist Robert E. Litman and Farberow to help determine the mental state of Marilyn Monroe before her death.
[5][6] Information from the decedent’s health records is also examined, including any illnesses, treatment, and therapy and family history of death.