Increase In Male Suicides Research Articles

Changing profile of suicide methods in India: 2014–2021

BackgroundRestricting access to suicide methods is one of the most effective suicide prevention approaches. MethodsTrends in method specific suicide rates (2014–2021) in India were calculated using National Crime Records Bureau data (NCRB) by sex and geographical region. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to empirically identify any changes in suicide trends. ResultsSuicide rates by hanging increased from 6.08 to 10.0 per 100,000 population among males and from 2.55 to 3.56 per 100,000 among females over the study period. Insecticide poisoning suicide rates also increased from 1.51 to 2.73 per 100,000 among males and from 0.74 to 1.14 per 100,000 among females. Suicide by self-immolation decreased over the study period among both sexes. In general, these national trends were mirrored among different regions. Joinpoint regression indicated an increase in suicide by hanging (annual percentage change (APC) of 12.3 among males between 2018 and 2021 and 4.9 among females between 2014 and 2021) and an increase in male suicide by insecticide poisoning between 2014 and 2021 (APC of 4.2) while a decrease in self-immolation rates was noted among males (APC of −12.7 between 2014 and 2021) and females (APC of −16.5 between 2016 and 2021). LimitationThe NCRB data might underestimate true suicide rates. ConclusionHanging suicides and insecticides poisoning suicides observed an increasing trend between 2014 and 2021. Self-immolation rates decreased during the study period which might be, in part, associated with the initiative to provide clean cooking fuel to households. Ban on lethal pesticides must be prioritised which might help lower insecticide poisoning suicide rates.

Changes in method specific suicide following a national pesticide ban in India (2011–2014)

BackgroundThis paper investigates whether declines in suicide by insecticide poisoning in India following a national ban on endosulfan in 2011were associated with changes in other methods of suicide and total suicide rates. MethodMethod-specific suicide rates between 2001–2014 were calculated using National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data by sex, age group and region, with observed rates compared to expected rates for the period post-2011. ResultsThere were an estimated 20,146 fewer male and 8,418 fewer female suicides by insecticide poisoning and 5542 fewer male and 2679 fewer female suicides by all other methods following the national endosulfan ban. Contemporaneously, an estimated 92% (23,812) of male and 60% (6,735) of female suicides prevented by insecticide poisoning and all other methods were offset to increases in suicides by hanging and other poisoning. Joinpoint regression indicated a decrease in suicide by insecticide poisoning following the endosulfan ban (annual percentage change (APC) of -12.18 among males and -11.89 among females between 2010–2014) while an increase in male suicide by hanging was noted between 2009–2014 (APC of 7.05). LimitationSuicide rates based on the NCRB data might be an underestimation of the true suicide rates. ConclusionDeclines in suicide by insecticide poisoning were largely offset by an increase in hanging suicides among males, however, this phenomenon was much less prominent in females and contributed to declines in total female suicide rates. Prevention strategies must continue to focus on pesticide bans with simultaneous attention on hanging prevention policies to reduce overall suicide rates in India.

Railway suicide in England and Wales 2000-2013: a time-trends analysis.

BackgroundIn 2010, the “Tackling Suicide on the Railways” programme was launched as a joint initiative among Network Rail, the Samaritans and other key organisations such as the British Transport Police and train operators to achieve a 20 % reduction in railway suicides from 2010 to 2015 in Great Britain. We report the most recent age and sex specific trends in railway suicide in England and Wales from 2000 to 2013 and examine whether the initiative’s target reduction in railway suicides is likely to be achieved.MethodsPopulation data and suicide mortality data (all methods combined and railway) for England and Wales were obtained from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and used to calculate age and gender specific rates for deaths registered from 2000 to 2013. Data on railway suicides were also obtained from the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and compared with ONS data. We used joinpoint regression to identify changes in suicide trends across the study period.ResultsThe railway was used in 4.1 % of all suicides in England and Wales (RSSB data were similar to ONS data for most years). Suicides in all persons from all causes decreased from 2000 to 2007, with small increases from 2008 until 2013; this rise was entirely due to an increase in male suicides. Railway suicide rates increased over the entire study period; the proportion of railway suicides in all persons increased from 3.5 to 4.9 % during the study period. This trend was also mainly driven by increases in male suicides as female railway suicide rates remained steady over time. The highest age specific railway suicide rates were observed in middle aged men and women. Although there was no conclusive evidence of an increase in ONS railway suicides, RSSB data showed a statistically significant increase in railway suicides in males from 2009 onwards.ConclusionThe continued rise in male railway suicide in England and Wales is concerning, particularly due to the high economic costs and psychological trauma associated with these deaths. The initiative’s target of a 20 % reduction in railway suicide is unlikely to be achieved.

Suicides associated with the 2008-10 economic recession in England: time trend analysis

Objective To determine whether English regions worst affected by the economic recession in the United Kingdom in 2008-10 have had the greatest increases in suicides. Design Time trend analysis comparing...

P-615 - How does economic recession in Italy affect the health of Italian people?

Introduction Since December 2007 all Western countries have fallen into a severe economic recession, that caused an increase in unemployment and a lowering of income. Main consequences on health reported from previous economic crises such as the ‘29 Great Depression, the Post-communist Depression in early 1990s or the East Asian financial crises in late 1990s were: 1) increase in overall mortality, 2) increase in day-time alcohol drinking, 3) increase in male suicides and 4) decrease in traffic fatalities. Aim To review the consistency of Italian data regarding the effects on health of the current economic recession with reference to effects of previous crises. Methods PubMed was searched for literature. Data on mortality, alcohol abuse and self-harm behaviours were obtained from the website of the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT). Results Overall mortality in Italy increased in years 2008 and 2009, this increase being more evident among women. Overall male suicides and attempted suicides increased in the same years as well. Male suicides potentially referred to economic reasons showed an alarming increase. Traffic fatalities decreased during the last decade. Contrary to the expectations, alcohol consumption diminished gradually after recession onset. Conclusions Italian data are consistent with expectations and previous findings. Other concomitant and not related events could be involved (such as decrease in traffic fatalities or steadiness in alcohol consumption, which might be related to the introduction of new laws), though it seems extremely suggestive that the socio-economic context has a deep impact on mental health of general population.

Suicide among Italian adolescents: 1970–2002

The purpose of the present study was to analyze sex and regional differences in the suicide rate of adolescents and the methods they used for suicide in Italy during the period 1970-2002. Temporal trends and regional variations in suicide for Italian adolescents were retrieved from the Italian database on mortality for the period 1970-2002, collected by the Italian Census Bureau and processed by the Italian National Institute of Health-Statistics Unit. In the period 1970-2002, 3,069 adolescent suicides were monitored in Italy. Analyses of these suicides identified significant differences by region of residence and sex. Males were 2.1 times more likely than females to kill themselves. Male and female suicides had inverse trends in the years analyzed, so that the sex difference at the present time is the result of a continuous increase in male suicides and a decrease in female suicides since 1970. The dramatic peaks observed over the time period studied cannot be attributed to a single cause, indicating that further studies are needed to better understand the phenomenon.

Effect of barriers on the Clifton suspension bridge, England, on local patterns of suicide: implications for prevention

We assessed the effect of the installation of barriers on the Clifton suspension bridge, Bristol, England, in 1998 on local suicides by jumping. Deaths from this bridge halved from 8.2 per year (1994-1998) to 4.0 per year (1999-2003; P=0.008). Although 90% of the suicides from the bridge were by males, there was no evidence of an increase in male suicide by jumping from other sites in the Bristol area after the erection of the barriers. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of barriers on bridges in preventing site-specific suicides and suicides by jumping overall in the surrounding area.

Changes in Scottish suicide rates during the Second World War

BackgroundIt is believed that total reported suicide rates tend to decrease during wartime. However, analysis of suicide rates during recent conflicts suggests a more complex picture, with increases in some age groups and changes in method choice. As few age and gender specific analyses of more distant conflicts have been conducted, it is not clear if these findings reflect a change in the epidemiology of suicide in wartime. Therefore, we examined suicide rates in Scotland before, during and after the Second World War to see if similar features were present.MethodsData on deaths in Scotland recorded as suicide during the period 1931 – 1952, and population estimates for each of these years, were obtained from the General Register Office for Scotland. Using computer spreadsheets, suicide rates by gender, age and method were calculated. Forward stepwise logistic regression was used to assess the effect of gender, war and year on suicide rates using SAS V8.2.ResultsThe all-age suicide rate among both men and women declined during the period studied. However, when this long-term decline is taken into account, the likelihood of suicide during the Second World War was higher than during both the pre-War and post-War periods. Suicide rates among men aged 15–24 years rose during the Second World War, peaking at 148 per million (41 deaths) during 1942 before declining to 39 per million (10 deaths) by 1945, while the rate among men aged 25–34 years reached 199 per million (43 deaths) during 1943 before falling to 66 per million (23 deaths) by 1946. This was accompanied by an increase in male suicides attributable to firearms and explosives during the War years which decreased following its conclusion.ConclusionAll age male and female suicide rates decreased in Scotland during World War II. However, once the general background decrease in suicide rates over the whole period is accounted for, the likelihood of suicide among the entire Scottish population during the Second World War was elevated. The overall decrease in suicide rates concealed large increases in younger male age groups during the War years, and an increase in male suicides recorded as due to the use of firearms. We conclude that the effects of war on younger people, reported in recent conflicts in Central Europe, were also seen in Scotland during the Second World War. The results support the findings of studies of recent conflicts which have found a heterogeneous picture with respect to age specific suicide rates during wartime.

The relationship between media reporting of suicide and actual suicide in Australia

This study aimed to determine whether media items about suicide were associated with differential increases in actual suicides. Data were available on 4635 suicide-related items appearing in Australian newspapers and on radio and television news and current affairs shows between March 2000 and February 2001. These data were combined with national data on completed suicides occurring during the same period, by a process that involved identifying the date and geographical reach of the media items and determining the number of suicides occurring in the same location in selected weeks pre- and post-item. Regression analyses were conducted to determine whether the likelihood of an increase in post-item suicides could be explained by particular item characteristics. We found that 39% of media items were followed by an increase in male suicides, and 31% by an increase in female suicides. Media items were more likely to be associated with increases in both male and female suicides if they occurred in the context of multiple other reports on suicide (versus occurring in isolation), if they were broadcast on television (versus other media), and if they were about completed suicide (versus attempted suicide or suicidal ideation). Different item content appeared to be influential for males and females, with an increase in male suicides being associated with items about an individual's experience of suicide and opinion pieces, and an increase in female suicides being associated with items about mass- or murder-suicide. Item prominence and quality were not differentially associated with increases in male or female suicides. Further research on this topic is required, but in the meantime there is a need to remain vigilant about how suicide news is reported. Mental health professionals and suicide experts should collaborate with media professionals to try to balance ‘public interest’ against the risk of harm.

Effects of Newspaper Stories on the Incidence of Suicide in Australia: A research Note

This study investigates the impact of newspaper stories on the incidence of suicide in Australia. The effects of suicide stories appearing in two major metropolitan newspapers between 1.1.1981 and 31.12.1990 were examined. The findings show that the daily average suicide rate in Australia increases significantly after the publication and publicity of suicide stories in the Australian media; the rise tends to be primarily due to the increase in male suicide and not female suicide. Some plausible explanations of this finding are advanced.