Suicide Contagion Research Articles

Geographic Patterns of Youth Suicide in San Diego County

ObjectiveOur objectives were to evaluate for any cluster patterns of youth suicide deaths and characterize the level of child opportunity in the communities where suicide deaths occurred. MethodsDecedents <18 years were identified from San Diego County Medical Examiner death reports from 2000 to 2020. We mapped decedents’ residential Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) codes and calculated suicide rates per 10,000 youths. ZIP codes identified in overlapping spatial statistical approaches — the spatial scan statistic and Local Moran with Empirical Bayes (EB) rates — were considered a cluster for the final analysis. We obtained Child Opportunity Index (COI) scores for each ZIP code to determine if there were differences in: 1) ZIP codes with suicide deaths compared to ZIPs with no deaths 2) differences in distribution of suicide death rates across quintiles of COI. ResultsScan statistic identified 25 ZIP codes within a cluster (RR 2.6, P = 0.00066). Local Moran with EB rates identified two ZIP codes as a high-high cluster (P < 0.05). The location identified as a cluster in both approaches was in Alpine. The median COI for ZIP codes with suicide deaths was higher at 63.5 (IQR 38–83) compared to 47 (IQR 22.5–75.5) for ZIP codes without suicide deaths. There was a significant difference in suicide rates between Very Low and Moderate levels of Overall opportunity (P = .013). ConclusionWe identified a cluster of youth suicides in one of the most populous counties in the country. These findings serve to inform policies and prevention programs that aim to mitigate youth suicide mortality.

Federal Firearm Licensee Rates and Suicide in Maryland, 2014 to 2019.

Federal firearm licensee density is associated with interpersonal firearm violence. Yet the role of Federal firearm licensees in firearm suicide remains understudied, even though firearms are the method used in more than half of suicides. This study tested associations between the spatial distribution of federal firearm licensees and firearm suicides in Maryland. Kernel density estimation measured federal firearm licensee and suicide rates at the census tract level (n=1,397), and SaTScan detected clusters of licensees and suicides. Choropleth maps compared visual associations between federal firearm licensee, firearm, and non-firearm suicide rates and clusters. Generalized estimating equations tested associations between Federal firearm licensee rates and clusters and the odds of using a firearm as the lethal means overall and after stratifying by biological sex. Data were obtained in 2020 and analyzed in 2020-2024. The federal firearm licensee rate was associated with greater odds of firearm suicide overall (aOR=1.29, 95% CI=1.21, 1.38, p<0.001), for men (aOR=1.29, 95% CI=1.20, 1.39, p<0.001), and for women (aOR=1.26, 95% CI=1.07, 1.49, p=0.007). Suicide decedents in a census tract located in a federal firearm licensee cluster (vs not) had higher odds of firearm use overall (aOR=1.70, 95% CI=1.28, 2.27, p<0.001) and for men (aOR=1.67, 95% CI=1.22, 2.27, p=0.001), but not for women (aOR=1.65, 95% CI=0.81, 3.34, p=0.168). The federal firearm licensee rate and clusters were associated with firearm suicides and unrelated to the spatial distribution of non-firearm suicides. Prevention approaches that limit the number of these federal firearm licensees or alter their sales practices, such as federal firearm licensee zoning and land use provisions, advertising restrictions, or gun shop projects, may prevent firearm suicides.

Public health measures related to the transmissibility of suicide.

Transmission is an important concept in suicide prevention. It can occur when exposure to another person's death by suicide (or to suicide-related information more generally) draws attention to suicide or highlights specific suicide methods. In this paper, the fourth in a Series on a public health approach to suicide prevention, we contend that the transmissibility of suicide must be considered when determining optimal ways to address it. We draw on five examples of how transmission might occur and be prevented. The first two examples relate to transmission initiated by representations of suicide in traditional and new media. The third concerns transmission that leads to suicide clusters, and the fourth considers a specific setting in which transmission occurs, namely secondary schools. Finally, we discuss how suicide risk might be countered by the transmission of suicide prevention messages in media campaigns.

Quantifying suicide contagion at population scale.

The spread of suicidal behavior among individuals is often described as a contagion; however, rigorous modeling of suicide as a dynamic, contagious process is minimal. Here, we develop and validate a model-inference system depicting suicide ideation and death and use it to quantify the contagion processes in the US associated with two prominent celebrity suicide events: Robin Williams during 2014 and Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, which occurred 3 days apart during 2018. We show that both events produced large transient increases of suicide contagion contact rates, i.e., the spread of suicidal thought and behavior, and a period of elevated suicidal ideation in the general population. Our modeling approach provides a framework for quantifying suicidal contagion and better understanding, preventing, and containing its spread.

Suicide contagion and psychosocial risks among Nepali youth through a near-hanging case study.

The phenomenon of suicide contagion: some individuals, especially vulnerable young people, exhibit increased susceptibility to suicidal ideation when exposed to the suicide of other people. Significant research suggests that exposure to media portrayals, suicide groups and peer suicides may lead to suicide contagion. Prevalent psychosocial and cultural factors in Nepal such as interpersonal conflict, domestic violence, gender inequity and social exclusion probably contribute to suicidal behaviour. This case study investigates a high school student in a rural mountainous community in Nepal, who attempted suicide by hanging following his girlfriend's suicide, and demonstrates how peer suicide exposure prompts imitative behaviour in a vulnerable young person and confirms suicide grief as an underrepresented risk factor. Prompt, supportive interventions for high-risk grievers and societal prevention strategies tailored to adolescents are essential to curb imitative deaths.

High-Risk Suicide Locations in Australia

Although several interventions have been shown to be effective in preventing suicide at high-risk locations, the potential for these interventions to be deployed is limited by a lack of knowledge about where high-risk locations are and the factors associated with choosing these locations. To identify high-risk suicide locations in Australia and the factors associated with choosing these locations. This case-control study included data on individuals who died by suicide in Australia between January 2001 and December 2017, obtained from the National Coronial Information System. Data analysis was conducted from February to December 2021. Sociodemographic, residential, incident time, and incident location variables. The scan statistic was used to detect spatial clusters of suicides in public locations. Suicide locations within significant clusters with at least 0.5 suicides per year were defined as high-risk locations. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the factors associated with choosing a high-risk location. Over the study period, 10 701 suicides took place in public places. The individuals who died of suicide in public places included 8602 (80.4%) male individuals, and most were aged 25 to 49 years (5825 [54.5%]). A total of 17 high-risk suicide locations in Australia were detected. These involved 495 suicides, which accounted for 4.6% of suicides in public locations. For suicides at high-risk locations, 82.2% (407 of 495) occurred at cliffs and bridges. Being female (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.41-2.13), employed (aOR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.20-2.04), never married (aOR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.26-2.13), and from a major city (aOR, 3.94; 95% CI, 2.94-5.28) were associated with the choice of a high- over low-risk suicide location. High-risk locations tended to be in major cities. This case-control study found 17 high-risk suicide locations in Australia and the factors associated with the choice of these locations. Actions should be taken to prevent suicide at these locations where possible.

Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Suicidal Thinking in Adolescents by Derivation and Validation in 3 Independent Worldwide Cohorts: Algorithm Development and Validation Study.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among adolescents and is associated with clusters of suicides. Despite numerous studies on this preventable cause of death, the focus has primarily been on single nations and traditional statistical methods. This study aims to develop a predictive model for adolescent suicidal thinking using multinational data sets and machine learning (ML). We used data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey with 566,875 adolescents aged between 13 and 18 years and conducted external validation using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey with 103,874 adolescents and Norway's University National General Survey with 19,574 adolescents. Several tree-based ML models were developed, and feature importance and Shapley additive explanations values were analyzed to identify risk factors for adolescent suicidal thinking. When trained on the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey data from South Korea with a 95% CI, the XGBoost model reported an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of 90.06% (95% CI 89.97-90.16), displaying superior performance compared to other models. For external validation using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey data from the United States and the University National General Survey from Norway, the XGBoost model achieved AUROCs of 83.09% and 81.27%, respectively. Across all data sets, XGBoost consistently outperformed the other models with the highest AUROC score, and was selected as the optimal model. In terms of predictors of suicidal thinking, feelings of sadness and despair were the most influential, accounting for 57.4% of the impact, followed by stress status at 19.8%. This was followed by age (5.7%), household income (4%), academic achievement (3.4%), sex (2.1%), and others, which contributed less than 2% each. This study used ML by integrating diverse data sets from 3 countries to address adolescent suicide. The findings highlight the important role of emotional health indicators in predicting suicidal thinking among adolescents. Specifically, sadness and despair were identified as the most significant predictors, followed by stressful conditions and age. These findings emphasize the critical need for early diagnosis and prevention of mental health issues during adolescence.

An exploratory study on spatiotemporal clustering of suicide in Korean adolescents

BackgroundAdolescent suicides are more likely to form clusters than those of other age groups. However, the definition of a cluster in the space–time dimension has not been established, neither are the factors contributing to it well known. Therefore, this study aimed to identify space–time clusters in adolescent suicides in Korea and to examine the differences between clustered and non-clustered cases using novel statistical methods.MethodsFrom 2016 to 2020, the dates and locations, including specific addresses from which the latitude and longitude of all student suicides (aged 9–18 years) in Korea were obtained through student suicide reports. Sociodemographic characteristics of the adolescents who died by suicide were collected, and the individual characteristics of each student who died by suicide were reported by teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) analysis was used to assess the clustering of suicides.ResultsWe identified 23 clusters through the data analysis of 652 adolescent suicides using DBSCAN. By comparing the size of each cluster, we identified 63 (9.7%) spatiotemporally clustered suicides among adolescents, and the temporal range of these clusters was 7–59 days. The suicide cluster group had a lower economic status than the non-clustered group. There were no significant differences in other characteristics between the two groups.ConclusionThis study has defined the space–time cluster of suicides using a novel statistical method. Our findings suggest that when an adolescent suicide occurs, close monitoring and intervention for approximately 2 months are needed to prevent subsequent suicides. Future research using DBSCAN needs to involve a larger sample of adolescents from various countries to further corroborate these findings.

Teen Perspectives on Suicides and Deaths in an Affluent Community: Perfectionism, Protection, and Exclusion.

Clusters of youth suicide and death are tragic for communities and present long-term consequences for the surviving youths. Despite an awareness of community-based patterns in youth suicide, our understanding of the social and community factors behind these events remains poor. While links between poverty and suicide have been well documented, wealthy communities are rarely targeted in suicide research. In response to this gap, we conducted ethnographic research in a wealthy U.S. town that, over a recent 10-year period, witnessed at least four youth suicides and seven more youth accidental deaths. Our interviews (n = 30) explored community values and stressors, interpersonal relationships, and high school experiences on participant perceptions of community deaths. Youth participants characterize their affluent community as having (1) perfectionist standards; (2) permissive and sometimes absent parents; (3) socially competitive and superficial relationships; and (4) a "bubble" that is protective but also exclusionary. Our qualitative findings reveal network influence in teen suicides and accidental deaths in a wealthy community. Greater attention paid to the negative effects of subcultural values and stressors in affluent communities is warranted. Further, our work promotes the value of ethnographic, community-based methodologies for suicidology and treatment.

The Politics of Suicide: Miasma and Katharmos in Plato’s Political Thought

Despite the laudable efforts of the medical and scientific community, the suicide contagion of the early twenty first century shows little sign of abating, especially amongst veterans. This article suggests that a supplemental resource for addressing the contemporary problem of suicide might be found in the history of political thought. Namely, we suggest turning to Plato who construes suicide as an action perpetrated by an identifiable and culpable individual who, in committing suicide, harms the polis itself. For Plato, this political harm must be understood in terms of pollution (miasma) and purification (katharmos). We suggest that Plato’s arguments against suicide might be helpfully adapted into our preventative repertoire today, and that these arguments might be particularly poignant and helpful for military service members, both active duty and veteran.

“Suicide Clusters: Analysis of a Sample of Completed Suicides in Spain”

Introduction “Cluster suicides,” also known as “suicide clusters,” refer to a phenomenon in which a series of suicides occur within a specific community, group, or geographic area within a relatively short period of time. These suicides often appear to be interconnected, either through imitation or contagion, and may involve individuals who have some form of social or emotional connection to each other.Objectives-Understanding the definition and characteristics of cluster suicides.- Analyzing common risk factors and triggers in cluster suicide cases.-Evaluating prevention and support strategies for affected individuals and communities.MethodsWe conduct an analysis of this concept based on a sample of suicides that occurred in a Spanish region over an 8-year period (2015-2022).We will Analyzethe following aspects: -Definition and characteristics of cluster suicides.-Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of cluster suicides.-Examples of real cases or case studies illustrating this phenomenon.-The role of imitation and contagion in cluster suicides.-Prevention and support strategies, including education on warning signs and access to mental health services.-The impact of media coverage and how it can amplify the contagion effect.-Measures to reduce access to lethal means of suicide.ResultsWe will discuss about the results found:-Definition and characteristics of cluster suicides.-Risk factors contributing to the occurrence of cluster suicides.-Examples of real cases or case studies illustrating this phenomenon.-The role of imitation and contagion in cluster suicides.-Prevention and support strategies, including education on warning signs and access to mental health services.-The impact of media coverage and how it can amplify the contagion effect.-Measures to reduce access to lethal means of suicide.ConclusionsThe main conclusions of our presentation are :-The importance of recognizing cluster suicides as a real and concerning phenomenon.-The need to address specific risk factors and triggers in affected communities.-The effectiveness of prevention and support strategies in reducing cluster suicide cases.-The importance of promoting media responsibility in suicide coverage.BIBLIOGRAPHY1.Cluster Suicides: A Critical Review and Theoretical Framework” (2019) - Este estudio proporciona una revisión crítica de la literatura sobre cluster suicides y presenta un marco teórico para comprender mejor este fenómeno2.“Clusters of Suicides and Suicide Attempts: Identification, Prediction, and Prevention” (2016) - Aunque este estudio no se centra exclusivamente en España, ofrece información sobre la identificación y prevención de clusters de suicidio que puede ser relevante.3.“Epidemiology of Suicide in Spain, 1981–2008” (2012) - Proporciona una visión general de la epidemiología del suicidio en España, lo que podría ayudar a contextualizar los estudios específicos sobre clusters.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Assessing the quality of suicide reporting in Portugal: 6 case studies of celebrities and non-celebrities over 25 years

Multiple studies from various countries have found evidence of suicide increases after media reports of suicide, which are known as the Werther effect, but responsible suicide reporting can contribute to suicide prevention, a phenomenon known as the Papageno effect. This study aims to assess adherence by the Portuguese media to the suicide reporting guidelines released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and to determine whether there are differences in reporting style between them and over time. News items about six suicides of public and non-public figures between 1996 and 2020 were collected from several Portuguese media—two newspapers, three radio stations, three television channels, and a few websites—in the periods following those deaths, and they were subsequently examined for adherence to the WHO guidelines. A total of 374 news items were analyzed. The majority of them complied with most of the WHO recommendations for suicide reporting, especially the ‘don’t do’ guidelines. However, most of the news items that were analyzed did not follow the recommendations regarding putatively preventive information, notably the inclusion of support contacts and citation of mental health experts. The Portuguese media mostly adhered to the WHO suicide reporting guidelines and there was a positive evolution over time in the level of compliance with them. Nevertheless, there is room for improvement.

The impact of media reporting of suicides on subsequent suicides in Asia: A systematic review

Introduction: This systematic review is aimed at (1) evaluating the association between media portrayals of suicides and subsequent copycat suicides or attempts among the general public in Asia, (2) understanding the factors associated with copycat suicides and (3) determining the positive impacts of the media reporting of suicides (e.g. increased help-seeking, coping). Method: A systematic review and narrative synthesis of English and Chinese articles from 8 electronic databases (i.e. PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Ariti, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and OpenGrey) from January 2000 to May 2023 was conducted. Observational studies were included, and the data were analysed through narrative synthesis. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021281535). Results: Among the 32 studies included (n=29 for evidence synthesis) in the review, there is good-quality evidence to show that copycat suicides and suicide attempts increase after media reports of a suicide, regardless of country, celebrity status, study design, type of media, mode of suicide or follow-up period. Females, younger age groups and those sharing similar characteristics as the deceased in publicised suicides (age, gender) were more susceptible to negative impact. Reporting of the mode of death of the deceased increased suicides by the same method among the public. Conclusion: Media portrayals of suicide appear to have a negative impact on copycat suicides at the population level in Asia. Thus, in addition to tighter media control, healthcare systems, professional medical bodies and community outreach services should work collaboratively to promote early help-seeking in those with psychological distress.

Background and Rationale - CDC Guidance for Communities Assessing, Investigating, and Responding to Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024.

To assist community leaders in public health, mental health, education, and other fields with developing a community response plan for suicide clusters or for situations that might develop into suicide clusters, in 1988, CDC published Recommendations for a Community Plan for the Prevention and Containment of Suicide Clusters (MMWR Suppl 1988;37[No. Suppl 6]:1-12). Since that time, the reporting and investigation of suicide cluster events has increased, and more is known about cluster risk factors, assessment, and identification. This supplement updates and expands CDC guidance for assessing, investigating, and responding to suicide clusters based on current science and public health practice. This report is the first of three in the MMWR supplement that describes an overview of suicide clusters, information about the other reports in this supplement, methods used to develop the supplement guidance, and the intended use of the supplement reports. The second report, CDC Guidance for Community Assessment and Investigation of Suspected Suicide Clusters - United States 2024, describes the potential methods, data sources and analysis that communities can use to identify and confirm suspected suicide clusters, and better understand the relevant issues. The final report, CDC Guidance for Community Response to Suicide Clusters - United States, 2024, describes how local public health and community leaders can develop a response plan for suicide clusters. The guidance in this supplement is intended as a conceptual framework that can be used by public health practitioners and state and local health departments to develop response plans for assessing and investigating suspected clusters that are tailored to the needs, resources, and cultural characteristics of their communities.

CDC Guidance for Community Assessment and Investigation of Suspected Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024.

This report is the second of three reports in the MMWR supplement updating CDC's guidance for investigating and responding to suicide clusters. The first report, Background and Rationale - CDC Guidance for Assessing, Investigating, and Responding to Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024, describes an overview of suicide clusters, methods used to develop the supplement guidance, and intended use of the supplement reports. The final report, CDC Guidance for Community Response to Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024, describes how local public health and community leaders can develop a response plan for suicide clusters. This report provides updated guidance for the approach to assessing and investigating suspected suicide clusters. Specifically, this approach will guide lead agencies in determining whether a confirmed suicide cluster exists, what concerns are in the community, and what the specific characteristics are of the suspected or confirmed suicide cluster. The guidance in this report is intended to support and assist lead agencies and their community prepare for, assess, and investigate suicide clusters. The steps provided in this report can be adapted to the local context, culture, capacity, circumstances, and needs for each suspected suicide cluster.

CDC Guidance for Community Response to Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024.

This is the third of three reports in the MMWR supplement that updates and expands CDC's guidance for assessing, investigating, and responding to suicide clusters based on current science and public health practice. The first report, Background and Rationale - CDC Guidance for Communities Assessing, Investigating, and Responding to Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024, describes an overview of suicide clusters, methods used to develop the supplement guidance, and intended use of the supplement reports. The second report, CDC Guidance for Community Assessment and Investigation of Suspected Suicide Clusters, United States, 2024, describes the potential methods, data sources, and analysis that communities can use to identify and confirm suspected suicide clusters and better understand the relevant issues. This report describes how local public health and community leaders can develop a response plan for suicide clusters. Specifically, the steps for responding to a suicide cluster include preparation, direct response, and action for prevention. These steps are not intended to be explicitly adopted but rather adapted into the local context, culture, capacity, circumstances, and needs for each suicide cluster.

A Brief Overview of the Islamic Ethics of Suicide and Suicide-Related Contemporary Issues from a Sunnī Perspective: A Primer for Clinicians and Researchers.

Suicide is a growing global health concern with complex socioeconomic implications. Understanding psychosocial resiliency factors may facilitate suicide prevention. Religious moral objections to suicide, including those inspired by the Islamic faith, appear to promote resilience to suicide. However, few English-language resources provide an overview of Islam's moral and ethical position on suicide, potentially hindering treatment of, and research on, suicide risk among Muslims. In the current paper, Islam's unanimous prohibition of suicide is explored and contextualized within the religion's foundational principles regarding the sanctity of life, the role and necessity of hardships, and one's responsibility to care for their body and to maintain their rights to their community. The role of harsh deterrents to suicide are contrasted with the impetus to show compassion to the deceased and the bereaved. Given the increasing focus on suicide-related topics such as euthanasia/ medical assistance in dying (MAID) and suicide contagion, Islam's ethical and legal position on suicide is discussed in the context of these contemporary moral issues.

Psychiatrists’ Perceptions of the Role of Journalists in Suicide Reporting and Prejudices about Mental Illnesses in Portugal

International studies and the World Health Organization call for collaboration between media and mental health professionals to reduce the risk of imitative suicidal behaviour after suicide reporting – known as the Werther effect – and encourage individuals at risk to seek help. This study explores Portuguese psychiatrists’ perceptions of the practices of journalists, their interaction with those professionals, and their perspectives on the national suicide coverage through an anonymous online questionnaire and ten semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire received 128 responses. Only about 24% of the Portuguese psychiatrists characterized their relationship with journalists as cooperative, and most of them considered suicide reporting to be sensationalist and irresponsible. More than 80% of the participants expressed the view that journalists do not know the guidelines for responsible suicide reporting, but more than 95% considered that they can contribute to suicide prevention. These findings suggest that there is a long way to go to build a constructive partnership for suicide prevention between psychiatrists and journalists in Portugal, focused on improving the quality of suicide reporting. We hope this study may inspire similar studies in other countries, since suicide is an international public health problem and collaboration between media and mental health professionals can help to prevent it on a global scale.

"Breaking the silence" suicide Prevention media campaign in Oregon: Evaluation of impact on help-seeking and suicide mortality.

Research has established that suicide-related media can impact suicide rates both positively and negatively, supporting efforts to engage the media in the service of suicide prevention. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the impact of a suicide prevention media campaign implemented April 7-14, 2019 in Oregon. Several indices of help-seeking behavior and suicide risk were employed: suicide-related Google Health API searches, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) (currently known as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) call volume, and state suicide mortality data from April 7, 2016-May 6, 2019. Eight states with similar 2016-2018 average suicide rates were compared with Oregon. Bayesian structural time-series modeling in R was used to test intervention effects. During the 30 days following the start of the campaign, there was a significant increase in Lifeline calls from Oregon area codes (2488 observed vs. 2283 expected calls, p = 0.03). There were no significant changes in suicide mortality or suicide-related Google searches in Oregon. The campaign appeared to increase help-seeking behavior in the form of Lifeline calls, without any indication of an iatrogenic suicide contagion effect. However, the campaign's potential to reduce suicide mortality was unmet.

Spatial analysis of multivariate factors influencing suicide hotspots in Urban Tamil Nadu

Clusters of suicide occur when there is a concentration of frequent incidents happening closely together in both time and space. Despite advancements in technology, there has been a persistent increase in suicide instances that has proven challenging to effectively manage. This research utilizes longitudinal and spatiotemporal data sourced from reports by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs and the Tamil Nadu government. The objective is to comprehensively examine the spatial dimension of suicide along with its influencing factors, employing scan statistics for the years 2020 and 2021. Hypothesis testing is conducted to compare hotspot and coldspot locations consistently identified within the study period of 2012-2021. To unravel the underlying causes of suicide within the consistent hotspot zone, a multivariate analysis approach is employed. Notably, this study highlights Madurai, a major city in Tamil Nadu, as a statistically significant and enduring hotspot for suicide. The analysis identifies economic factors as the primary catalyst for the escalating suicide rates in this hotspot region. This emphasizes the urgent need for increased attention to address this issue effectively. State-level assessment of suicide instances and its concerning factors, the restrictive measure of suicide instances due to availability of data sources. This study provides a roadmap that aims to assist health and governmental entities in formulating, strategizing, and implementing feasible preventive measures specifically tailored to curbing suicide incidents in urban Tamil Nadu.