Suicide In Mexico Research Articles

Suicide and Covid-19 in Mexico: an update to 2021

Objective. To update prior studies on the impact of Covid-19 on suicide in Mexico. Materials and methods. We used interrupted time-series analysis to model the national trend in monthly suicides before Covid-19 (January 1, 2010, to March 31, 2020), comparing the expected number of suicides with the observed number for the remainder of the period (April 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021). Results. We observed a 5% increase in suicides, driven by suicides among the younger females ages <44 years and among older males ages 45+. Conclusion. Since in Mexico the impact of Covid-19 on suicide depended on sex and age, tailored public health strategies may be needed to confront the problem.

A state level analyses of suicide and the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico

BackgroundWhile suicide rates in high- and middle-income countries appeared stable in the early stages of the pandemic, we know little about within-country variations. We sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on suicide in Mexico’s 32 states and to identify factors that may have contributed to observed variations between states.MethodsInterrupted time-series analysis to model the trend in monthly suicides before COVID-19 (from Jan 1, 2010, to March 31, 2020), comparing the expected number of suicides derived from the model with the observed number for the remainder of the year (April 1 to December 31, 2020) for each of Mexico’s 32 states. Next, we modeled state-level trends using linear regression to study likely contributing factors at ecological level.ResultsSuicide increased slightly across Mexico during the first nine months of the pandemic (RR 1.03; 95%CI 1.01–1.05). Suicides remained stable in 19 states, increase in seven states (RR range: 1.12–2.04) and a decrease in six states (RR range: 0.46–0.88). Suicide RR at the state level was positively associated with population density in 2020 and state level suicide death rate in 2019.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic had a differential effect on suicide death within the 32 states of Mexico. Higher population density and higher suicide rates in 2019 were associated with increased suicide. As the country struggles to cope with the ongoing pandemic, efforts to improve access to primary care and mental health care services (including suicide crisis intervention services) in these settings should be given priority.

Comparative analysis of the legal framework on mental health and suicide in Mexico

Analyze the legislative and normative framework on mental health and suicide in Mexico. A secondary analysis of the main legal systems on mental health and suicide, in force until September 2020, of the 32 entities in Mexico and at the federal level was carried out. 51 documents were analyzed. Only 14 states have a mental health law and two states have a law on suicide. At the federal level, the guidelines for the care of suicidal behavior are defined in the technical standards issued by the Health Ministry. However, in both state and national health laws, there have been omissions in this regard. Prevention is not defined in depth in most of the documents analyzed. It is a priority to promote comprehensive laws on mental health and suicidal behavior harmonized at the national level.

Living Conditions of Adolescents Who Have Attempted Suicide in Mexico

Suicidal behavior represents a complex public health problem, with a rising number of suicide attempts registered among Mexican adolescents. We undertook a qualitative study in order to understand the living conditions of adolescents who had attempted to take their lives in five Mexican states. We interviewed 37 adolescents who had engaged in suicide attempts in the year prior to our study. To code and analyze the information, we defined the following three categories of living conditions as social determinants of health for adolescents: poverty and vulnerability, education, and health care. To this end, we followed the methodology proposed by Taylor and Bogdan, and used Atlas.ti 7.5.18 software for analyses. Among our findings, we noted that poverty, manifested primarily as material deprivation, rendered the daily lives of our interviewees precarious, compromising even their basic needs. All the young people analyzed had either received medical, psychological, and/or psychiatric care as outpatients or had been hospitalized. School played a positive role in referring adolescents with suicidal behavior to health services; however, it also represented a high-risk environment. Our findings highlight the urgent need to implement a national intersectoral strategy as part of comprehensive public policy aimed at improving the health of adolescents in Mexico.

Estudio de la carga de la mortalidad por suicidio en México 1990-2017

The primary goal was to analyze the level and trend of the burden of suicide mortality in Mexico between 1990 and 2017 at a national and state scale. A secondary analysis based on the 2017 global burden of disease study. Mortality rates and years of life lost due to premature death (YLL) were reported here. A joinpoint regression analysis based on a log-linear model was used to analyze the trend of YLL. The burden of disease due to suicides increased in Mexico, mainly in young males and females; though the raise that happened in the elderly is an additional challenge for the health system. The burden of disease varied substantially between states. The male mortality rates were higher than those of females during the whole period under study, nonetheless with a trend to reduce the difference between the sexes. A bimodal pattern of the burden of disease due to suicide in Mexico was also observed, with the higher rates located in those aged between 15 and 19 years, and an important increase in people older than 85 years of age. These results show a worrisome picture, not only from a social, economic and health point of view but also from the needs of public policies. This situation represents a wake-up call about the need to implement timely identification actions, a comprehensive multisectoral prevention strategy and the detailed study of suicide associated risk factors.

Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Completed Suicides in Mexico City 2014-2015.

Objective: To analyze sex differences in demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals who died by suicide in Mexico City.Method: Statistical analysis of residents of Mexico City whose cause of death was suicide, during two years period from January 2014 to December 2015, with a coroner's report. Suicide mortality rates were calculated by age, sex, and location within the city. The Chi-squared test was used to assess statistical differences.Results: From January 2014 to December 2015, 990 residents of Mexico City died by suicide (men: 78.28%, women: 21.72%). Among males, the highest mortality rates were among the groups of 20–24 and 75–79 years old, whereas in women, the group with the highest mortality rate was 15 to 19 years old. 74% of the sample used hanging as suicide method. However, men had higher rates of a positive result in the toxicology test (40%) (p < 0.05). There was no concordance between male and female suicide by city jurisdictions.Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that the characteristics of Mexico City's residents who committed suicide had significant sex-related differences, including where they used to live. Understanding the contributory factors associated with completed suicide is essential for the development of effective preventive strategies.

Impact of the study of marijuana and suicide in Mexico

Before considering the legal approval of recreational consumption, it is essential to analyze the various components of the phenomenon, including the implications in areas such as economy, national security and public health. An informed debate on the effects of marijuana calls for scientific evidence on the benefits, harm or adverse effects of its use. The marijuana-suicide link is one of many topics that must be tackled in the field of mental health.

Domestic violence laws and suicide in Mexico

In the mid-1990s Mexican states began adopting reforms that for the first time criminalized domestic violence. Two separate policies were also adopted which allowed domestic violence to be grounds for divorce and established prevention and assistance programs for victims of domestic violence. I exploit the variation in time and geography to estimate the impact of these three policies on female suicide rates using a difference-in-difference methodology. The results indicate that states that criminalized domestic violence exhibited a 22–34% decrease in suicide rates compared to non-adopting states, but there is no robust evidence that the other two policies had any impact. A battery of tests provides support for the robustness of these findings and indicates that most of the effects are concentrated among married women. Analysis of a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey covering violence against women in Mexico suggests reduction in sexual and physical violence as a possible mechanism behind the reduction in female suicide rates. These findings are consistent with an intra-household bargaining model with asymmetric information and costly conflict which predicts that policies that reduce conflict within the household can reduce female suicides. The results highlight the importance of developing and implementing policies that facilitate reporting and providing access to legal institutions for victims of domestic violence, which can in turn improve a victim’s wellbeing.

Alcohol, cannabis and other drugs and subsequent suicide ideation and attempt among young Mexicans

ObjectiveTo report results from a follow-up study of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs on suicidal behavior. MethodWe estimated prospective associations of substance use as a risk factor for incident suicide ideation and attempt, from a follow-up conducted in 2013 (n = 1071) of the original Mexican Adolescent Mental Health Survey conducted in 2005. ResultsCannabis use before age 15 (ideation risk ratio (RR) = 3.97; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.43–11.03; attempt RR = 5.23; 95% CI = 1.17–23.32), early onset of DSM-IV drug use disorder (DUD) among cannabis users (ideation RR = 3.30; 95% CI = 1.11–9.84; attempt RR = 4.14; 95% CI = 1.28–13.36), high frequency of cannabis use (RR for attempts = 4.60; 1.03–20.60) and recent DSM-IV-DUD among cannabis users (RR for attempts = 4.74; 1.09–20.57) increased the RR. For “other drug use”, significant results were found among those with high frequency use of other drugs such that they had a higher RR of suicide attempt (5.04; 1.03–24.64). For alcohol, only those who initiated alcohol before age 15 had higher RRs of suicide attempt (1.79; 1.00–3.20). DiscussionThose who used cannabis at an early age, early onset of DSM-IV-DUD, and those with heavy cannabis use and recent DSM-IV-DUD among cannabis users in the last 12-months had increased risk of suicide ideation and attempt. Drugs other than cannabis showed some of these associations, but to a lesser degree. Prevention of substance use and treatment of those already engaged in drug use, by decreasing suicide ideation and attempt, may help to prevent suicide in Mexico.

Analysis of the impact of mortality due to suicides in Mexico, 2000-2012.

The objective of this study was to analyze the burden of disease due to suicide in Mexico using years of life lost (YLL) between 2000 and 2012 by sex, age group (for those under 85 years of age) and jurisdiction. Vital statistics on mortality and population estimates were used to calculate standardized mortality rates and years of life lost due to suicide. Between 2000 and 2012 a sustained increase in the suicide mortality rate was observed in Mexico. The age group with the highest rate was 85 years of age or older for men, and 15-19 years of age for women. The highest impact in life expectancy due to suicide occurred at 20 to 24 years of age in men and 15 to 19 years of age in women. The states with the highest mortality due to suicide were located in the Yucatan Peninsula (Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Campeche). Mortality due to suicide in Mexico has increased continually. As suicides are preventable, the implementation of health public policies through timely identification, integral prevention strategies and the detailed study of associated risk factors is imperative.

Población y salud mental en México. Reflexiones y un ejercicio de aproximación mediante las variaciones de la mortalidad por suicidio / Population and Mental Health in Mexico. Reflections and an Exercise in Approaches to the Variations of Mortality due to

En este documento se presenta un conjunto de reflexiones sobre la importancia de atender a los múltiples y complejos vínculos que se tejen entre la dinámica poblacional y los problemas de salud mental. Acompaña a estas reflexiones un ejercicio exploratorio de las variaciones de la mortalidad por suicidio en México de 1990 a 2008, como una modalidad de defunción que ha sido vinculada con cierto tipo de trastornos mentales. El ejercicio, precedido por una revisión de algunos de los principales aportes de las investigaciones en torno a la mortalidad por suicidio realizadas en México en las últimas décadas, se plantea como un primer paso para orientar la formulación de hipótesis en estudios sucesivos sobre los posibles vínculos entre la evolución de los niveles de suicidio y algunos indicadores de los procesos poblacionales. En él se revisa la evolución, durante el periodo considerado, de la distribución proporcional y algunas tasas para las principales características demográficas de los fallecidos por esta causa, la lesión que ocasionó el deceso, el acceso a la atención médica, y las variaciones geográficas de la mortalidad por suicidio analizada desde tres ángulos: su participación proporcional dentro del subconjunto de las muertes violentas, la razón de masculinidad, y las tasas de mortalidad observadas en cada entidad federativa. Con base en esta última información se propone, mediante un análisis de cúmulos, una clasificación preliminar de las entidades en tres grandes conjuntos. El trabajo apunta a varias de las interrogantes que se abren para ser abordadas en aproximaciones ulteriores, y concluye con el señalamiento de los fuertes desafíos implicados en la indagación de estas interrelaciones.AbstractThis document presents a set of reflections on the importance of dealing with the many complex links between population dynamics and mental health problems. These reflections are accompanied by an exploratory exercise regarding the variations in mortality due to suicide in Mexico from 1990 and 2008 as a form of death that has been linked to a certain type of mental disorders. The exercise, preceded by a review of some of the main contributions of the research regarding mortality due to suicide undertaken in Mexico in recent decades, is initially intended to guide the formulation of hypotheses in successive studies on the possible links between the evolution of suicide levels and certain indicators of population processes. It reviews the evolution, during the period considered, of the proportional distribution and certain rates for the main demographic characteristics of those that have died from this cause, the injury that caused death, access to medical care and the geographical variations of mortality due to suicide analyzed from three angles: its proportional share of the sub-set of violent deaths, the ratio of masculinity and the mortality rates observed in each state. On the basis of the most recent information, a preliminary classification of the states into three main sets is proposed. The study points to several of the questions that should be dealt with in subsequent approaches and ends with an indication of the challenges involved in the exploration of these inter-relationships.

Suicide Notes in Mexico: What Do They Tell Us?

According to international and Mexican official statistics, there is a dramatic rise in suicide in Mexico; however, research in this area is severely limited. This is the first study of suicide notes from Mexico in the international literature. From a population of 747 registered suicides, a sample of 106 note-writers and 106 non-note writers was examined. Using the demographic (descriptive) scheme of Ho, Yip, Chiu, and Halliday (1998), the results indicate that note writers do not differ greatly from other suicides. The less educated understandably wrote fewer notes. The most intriguing finding was that suicide in Mexico was associated with an array of factors, notably interpersonal problems.

Suicide Attempts in a Sample of Patients from a General Hospital

Background Suicide in Mexico has risen steadily in recent years, increasing by 156% in the last two decades. The study of suicide precursors, such as suicide attempts, has also become an important public health topic. The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of suicide attempts in a general hospital setting and its association with alcohol, depression, and other factors. Methods A cross-sectional survey of a sample of patients was carried out in all three service units (inpatient, outpatient, and the emergency room) of a general hospital in Mexico City. All patients were randomly selected to participate regardless of the reason for initial hospital admission. Each patient was administered a series of psychological and demographic scales including the Beck Depression Inventory, the Beck Hopelessness Inventory, the General Health Questionnaire, a suicide assessment scale, a scale for alcohol consumption, and several measurements of alcohol-related problems. Results The final sample was made up of 1,094 patients of both genders (68% women), aged 18–65 years. A lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts of 6.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] of 4.7–7.7%) was found. Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain estimations of the association between lifetime suicide attempt and other factors. Marital status, age, depressed mood, hopelessness, Goldberg's 30-item version of the General Health Questionnaire, and high levels of alcohol consumption were all associated with the suicide attempt. Conclusions Prevalence of lifetime suicide attempts was mainly related to being young, divorced, or widowed, and to feeling depressed, hopeless, and under undesirable psychological distress.