An analysis of child and adolescent suicide in three centres from 2008-2017

Abstract

The overall suicide rate worldwide has been found to have changed little over the past 100 years,1 but different trends have been observed over time for USA, Australia and NZ.2,3 Few studies have focused on child and adolescent (<18 years of age) suicide, meaning there is little prior knowledge from which to determine trends. This project is an update on youth suicides in Adelaide, which were compared with the jurisdictions of Auckland (NZ) and Hennepin County (USA). Youth suicides between 2008–2017 in Adelaide and the other centres were included in this study. Demographic data (age, sex, ethnicity, BMI) and the method of suicide from these three regions were collected and analysed. There were 39 youth suicides in Adelaide (2.4% of 1661 total suicides), 50 in Hennepin (3.6% of 1404 total) and 105 in Auckland (6.4% of 1638 total) from 2008–2017. The most common method of suicide across all centres was hanging, occurring in >80% of cases in Adelaide and Auckland, and 56% in Hennepin. Hennepin County had a greater proportion of suicides using firearms (28%, compared with 1.9% for Auckland and 5.1% for Adelaide). Unusual means of suicide were used less frequently by youth than previously.