What are the Four Categories of Death?

Oct 27, 2022 | Biohazard Cleanup

Do you know what are the four categories of death? In death investigations, a forensic pathologist will often perform an autopsy. During this process, the expert will study the effect of injury, medical treatments, and diseases on the human body, then make the conclusion on the manner of death in the court. Here are some basic facts about each category of death.

What are the Four Categories of Death?

1. Natural Death

A natural death is typically the end result of a disease or an internal malfunction due to old age. This is particularly true when elderly people have different illnesses and conditions, but none of them together or alone might clearly result in death, and it isn’t certain which condition causes death.
For instance, a person who dies from complications from a heart attack, a sudden heart failure, or influenza should be considered as having a natural death. Most health departments don’t encourage listing old age as a cause of death as it doesn’t benefit medical research or public health.

2. Homicide

When a person kills another, it is known as a homicide. This type of death often requires a volitional act and might result from negligent, reckless, or accidental activities.
In general, homicides can be categorized into many legal types, such as manslaughter, murder, justifiable homicide, euthanasia, capital punishment, killing in war, depending on the cases of the death and the intent or state of mind of the criminal. These acts of killing can be treated very differently in different countries. While some cases are considered crimes, others can be required by the legal system.alth.

3.  Suicide Death

Suicide is basically the act of causing one’s own death on intention. There are many risk factors for this issue such as substance abuse, personality disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression. Those people who have previously tried suicide are often at higher risks for other attempts in the future.
The most effective ways of preventing suicide are to improve economic conditions, report suicide cases properly in the media, treat substance misuse and mental disorders, and limit access to suicide methods like poisons, drugs, and firearms. The most common suicide method can vary between different countries.

4.  Accidental Death

An accidental death can be caused by an accident like a traffic collision, fall and slip, or anything else without malice intent. This type of death can be still considered as a suicide or homicide if the human is the unintentional cause. In many cases, the majority of the accidents does not happen by chance but by negligence or human error.

Dismemberment and accidental death insurance policies often pay a coverage in the event of accidental deaths. However, the family should prove that it is caused by an accident rather than homicide or suicide.

 So, What are the Four Categories of Death? 

The cause of the death is usually what determines the category it belongs to. Natural, accidental, homicide and suicide are the four categories a death will fall int