Abstract
The objective was to examine changes in temporal trends in suicide mortality in 26 Western countries by retrospective trend analysis of the WHO mortality database on causes of deaths. From 1990 to 2010, there was a median reduction in suicide mortality of 22.7%, ranging from a 46% reduction in Estonia to a 26.2% increase in Romania. Suicide mortality decreased by ≥20% in 15 countries, and the reduction tended to be greater in countries with higher mortality in 1990. In most of the central European countries mortality strongly declined. The median changes in the age groups were −25.3% (range −62.9% to 72.6%) in people aged 15–24 years, −36.9% (−60.5% to 32.4%) in 25–34 years, −3.6% (−57.1% to 92%) in 35–54 years, −12.2% (−37% to 65,7%) in 55–74 years and −16.1% (−54.5% to 166.7%) in ≥75 years. Suicide prevention programs in youths and in the elderly seem to be effective (at least in females for the elderly) and efforts should be pursued in this way. However, suicide mortality of the people aged 35–54 years has increased in half of the studied countries between 1990 and 2010. Public policies should further orientate their efforts toward this population.
Highlights
In this study we analyzed suicide mortality in 25 European countries and United States of America (USA) from 1990 to 2010 and examined temporal trends in suicide rates for both sexes, males and females and for subjects aged [15–24], [25–34], [35–54], [55–74] and 75+ to help decipher the effect of the contributing factors
Over the 20 years, suicide mortality declined by a median of 22.7%, with individual values ranging from a 46% reduction in Estonia to a 26.2% increase in Romania
In the USA, suicide mortality increased in the 35–54 years (+ 62.9%) (Fig. 4) and in the 55–74 years (+ 41.5%), while it decreased in the other age categories
Summary
Suicide deaths registered in the World Health Organization mortality database at June 2015 were extracted for European countries and USA7. The quality of mortality data has been evaluated by the WHO8. Data quality is checked annually according to the Health Facility Data Quality Report Card (DQRC). The DQRC examines completeness of reporting; internal consistency of reported data; external consistency of population data and external consistency of coverage rates (for more details see http://www.who.int/healthinfo/DQRC_Indicators.pdf). A return to the data collectors on the quality of their entered data is sent each year. Luxembourg, Monaco, Iceland and Malta were excluded for missing data. For Slovakia data was only available since 1992, for Denmark since 1994, for Switzerland since 1995, for Serbia since 1998, for Cyprus since 1999. For almost all other countries, data up to 2010 were available
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