Crude Suicide Rates Research Articles

The Effect of Access to Lethal Methods of Injury on Suicide Rates

The relationship between the availability of lethal methods of injury and suicide rates is an important, but unresolved question. We investigated this relationship by prospectively classifying lethal methods according to their accessibility in the five counties of New York City. These counties have both similarities and differences in the proportion of their populations with access to specific lethal means. We then compared the age- and gender-adjusted method-specific suicide rates of these counties. There were marked differences in overall crude suicide rates among the five counties. The counties had similar suicide rates involving methods that were equally accessible to all persons in each county (eg, hanging, laceration, suffocation, and burns) as well as methods that were accessible to a smaller, but similar proportion of the population in each county (eg, firearms and drowning in waterways). Virtually all of the differences in overall suicide risk among counties were explained by differences in rates involving methods that were differentially available in the counties, principally fall from height, overdose of prescription medications, and carbon monoxide poisoning. We conclude that differences in suicide rates between communities are, in large part, due to differences in accessibility to lethal methods of injury. Therefore, systematic studies should evaluate the effect of reducing accessibility to specific lethal means on suicide rates.

EFFECT OF USING AGE-ADJUSTED SUICIDE RATESON THE RESULTS OF TIME-SERIES ANALYSES OF THE SUICIDE RATE

Using data from Motohashi, differences in results of time-series analyses of crude and age-adjusted suicide rates in Japan were observed.

Suicide in United States Army Personnel, 1985–1986

A sixth biennium of epidemiological data on suicide in the U.S. Army was compiled. The annual crude suicide rate per 100,000 soldiers-at-risk for 1985-1986 was found to be 13.8, an increase of 3.8 points from 1983-1984. Sex-specific, race-specific, age-specific, grade-specific, and marital-status-specific rates were studied, and can be compared with the same indices in the previous six biennia. The standardized mortality ratio was calculated for 1986 and was found to be 69, significantly lower than the 100 expected from a civilian population of the same size and age-sex-race composition as the U.S. Army. Demographic data and information on circumstances surrounding the suicidal act were also made available for comparison with previous data. Analysis of the suicidal person's psychosocial situation (as reflected in the kinds of personal problems recorded in the reports and investigations of the incident and as reflected in assessment made of the victims presuicidal "motivational state") showed remarkable constancy in the five time periods studied, and indicates a powerful, consistent association between a dyadic love-object relationship in total collapse and the completed suicide.

Suicide in United States Air Force Personnel, 1981–1985

Five years of epidemiological data on suicide in the U.S. Air Force was compiled. The annual crude suicide rate per 100,000 airmen-at-risk for 1981–1985 was found to be 11.0. Sex-specific, race-specific, age-specific, grade-specific, location-specific, and marital status-specific rates were compared with published data from the U.S. Air Force for the 1958–1964 time period and the differences are noted. Demographic data and information on circumstances surrounding the suicidal act are also presented. Analysis of the suicidal person's psychosocial situation (as reflected in the kinds of personal problems recorded in the reports and investigations of the incident and as reflected in assessment made of the victim's pre-suicidal “motivational state”) showed remarkable constancy across the services, and indicates a powerful, consistent association between a dyadic love object relationship in total collapse and the completed suicide.

Suicide in United States Army Personnel, 1983–1984

Abstract : A fifth biennium of epidemiological data on suicide in the U.S. Army was compiled. The annual crude suicide rate per 100,000 soldiers at risk for 1983-1984 was found to be 10.0, a drop of 1.4 points from 1981 to 1982. Sex specific, race specific, age specific, grade specific,and martial status specific rates were studied, and these can be compared with the same indices in the previous four biennia. Demographic data and information on circumstances surrounding the suicidal act were also made available for comparison with previous data. Analysis of the suicidal person's psychosocial situation (as reflected in the kinds of personal problems recorded in the reports and investigations of the incident, and as reflected in assessment made of the victims pre-suicidal 'motivational state') showed remarkable constancy in the five time periods studied, and indicates a powerful, consistent association between a dyadic love object relationship in total collapse and the completed suicide.

Suicide trends in Singapore, 1975-84.

Recent trends in the incidence and methodology of suicide in Singapore are presented and compared with a similar study done 20 years previously. The study covers a total of 2843 suicidal deaths reported to the coroner from 1975–84 that were investigated by the Government Department of Pathology. The results show that the crude suicide rate has been increasing since 1977 and that the rate was highest in elderly males. The three most popular methods of suicide employed were jumping from a height (58.4 per cent), hanging (25.6 per cent) and poisoning (10.2 per cent). Comparison of the results with the previous study carried out for 1955–64 showed a significant increase in the mean crude suicide rate which was almost exclusively contributed to by an increase in the rate for females. There was also a significant change in the popularity of methods of suicide employed.

Suicide in Hong Kong.

Coroners' statistics indicated there were 684 suicides for the whole of Hong Kong in 1981. This gave a crude suicide rate of 18.1 per 100,000 population aged 15 years and over and constituted 2.7% of all deaths reported in that year. Only a few data were recorded in all coroners' files but additional data were obtained from police records on 168 of these suicides. The age and sex distribution among the suicides as well as the effect of marital and employment status on suicide rates were found to be similar to western countries. Jumping from a height was the most common method of suicide (47.2%) followed by hanging (30.8%). Psychiatric illness and chronic physical disability were two most important precipitating causes of suicide (39.8% and 35.7% respectively). Twenty per cent had a history of previous attempts with one-third occurring within six months of their completed suicide. Over 40% had communicated their suicide intention to others, while 19% left a note. 'Psychiatric' cases as a group had special features: there were more in the younger age groups, more with records of previous suicide attempts and more chose readily available methods.