Shifting dynamics of self-immolation in the capital of Iran? The rising trend among young, unmarried, less-educated men

• Self-immolated men had higher celibacy, unemployment, and substance abuse rates. • Self-immolated women showed higher depression rates and more education. • Most self-immolation incidents were impulsive and often involved gasoline. • Significant age gap: men aged 20–30, women aged 35–45 in our population. • Incident stressors: family issues for women, financial/psychotic issues for men. In our study, we aimed to explore the psychiatric disorders, risk factors, and predictors of self-immolation among individuals admitted to Shahid Motahari Hospital in Tehran from 2019 to 2020. This cross-sectional study examines 64 hospitalized patients who received psychiatric counseling following self-immolation incidents. The rate of self-immolation varies significantly based on specific demographics. It is observed that in our population men had a higher rate of being unmarried (70.96 % vs 15.15 %), lower levels of education (70.96 % vs 63.63 % did not have a university degree), higher level of unemployment (54.83 % vs 30.30 %), younger age average with most men aging 15–24 (29.06 (SD = 9.33)) vs women 35–44 (35.27(SD = 10.27)) and higher prevalence of addiction (67.74 % vs 36.36 %) compared to women. On the other hand, women who attempted self-immolation mainly were married, involved in housekeeping, and tended to exhibit higher rates of depression (63.63 % vs 32.25 %) than men. Furthermore, these self-immolation incidents are often impulsive (64.1 %) and occur shortly (under an hour) after experiencing a stressor (39.1 %). Self-immolation accidents are frequently carried out using gasoline (50 %). Geographically, the majority of self-immolation cases of our study are concentrated in the central region of Iran (76.6 %), followed by the western region (15.6 %) this may be due to the proximity of these regions to our center while patients of other regions were hospitalized in their referral hospitals and were rarely transferred to the capital. To effectively address the issue of self-immolation and reduce its prevalence, it is essential to identify vulnerable populations and explore targeted preventive measures. Based on our findings, future pilot studies could investigate the feasibility of specific interventions, such as crisis hotlines to reduce impulsivity-related acts of self-immolation. Additionally, small-scale feasibility projects could explore the effectiveness of impulse control management or interpersonal skills training in high-risk populations, but further research is needed to assess their practicality and impact.