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{{ClinPsy}}
  
{{ClinPsy}}
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{{Psysuicde}}
 +
{{Psysuicide}}
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It is probable that the incidence of [[suicide]] is widely under-reported due to both religious and social pressures, and possibly completely unreported in some areas. Nevertheless, from the known suicides, certain trends are apparent. However, since the data is skewed, attempts to compare suicide rates between nations is statistically unwise. The trends themselves are not the cause, but may be indicative of a root cause.
   
  +
== Epidemiology ==
  +
[[Image:Regional suicide stats.gif|thumb|Rate of [[suicide]] in the [[United States]].]]
  +
A recent report by the [[World Health Organisation]] (WHO) states that nearly a million people take their own lives every year, more than those murdered or killed in war.<ref>{{cite web
  +
| title=Suicide prevention
  +
| publisher=World Health Organization
  +
| year=February 16, 2006
  +
| work=WHO Sites: Mental Health
  +
| url=http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref> WHO figures show a suicide takes place somewhere in the world every 40 seconds. The numbers are highest in Europe's [[Baltic states]], where around 40 people per 100,000 die by suicide each year, second in line is in the [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] where 32 people per 100,000 die by suicide each year. The lowest numbers are seen in [[Malta]], a devout Catholic island state in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], where some years the rate is zero.
  +
  +
===Gender and suicide===
  +
[[Image:Suicide rates in U.S. by gender and race (2000).jpg|thumb|left|[[U.S.]] Suicide Rates by Age, Gender, and Racial Group.]]
  +
In the [[United States]], [[male]]s are four times more likely to die by suicide than [[female]]s. Male suicide rates are higher than females in all age groups (the ratio varies from 3:1 to 10:1). In other western countries, males are also much more likely to die by suicide than females (usually by a factor of 3&ndash;4:1). It was the 8th leading cause of death for males, and 19th leading cause of death for females.<ref>{{cite web
  +
| title=Teen Suicide Statistics
  +
| publisher=FamilyFirstAid.org
  +
| year=2001
  +
| work=Adolescent Teenage Suicide Prevention
  +
| url=http://www.familyfirstaid.org/suicide.html
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref>
  +
  +
Excess male mortality from suicide is also evident from data from non-Western countries. In 1979-81, out of 74 countries with a non-zero suicide rate, two reported equal rates for the sexes ([[Seychelles]] and [[Kenya]]), three reported female rates exceeding male rates ([[Papua-New Guinea]], [[Macao]], and [[French Guiana]]), while the remaining 69 countries had male suicide rates greater than female suicide rates. <ref>Lester, Patterns, Table 3.3, pp. 31-33</ref>
  +
  +
While there are more completed male suicides than female, females are more likely to attempt suicide. One possible explanation of this statistical phenomenon, supported by a study by Rich, Ricketts, Fowler, and Young, is that males tend to use more "violent, immediately lethal methods of suicide" than females.<ref>{{cite journal
  +
| last = Rich | first = CL
  +
| coauthors = JE Ricketts, RC Fowler and D Young
  +
| year = 1988
  +
| title = Some differences between men and women who commit suicide
  +
| journal = [[American Journal of Psychiatry]]
  +
| volume = 145 | pages = 718&ndash;722 | id = PMID 3369559
  +
| url =http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/145/6/718
  +
| accessdate = 2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref> Another explanation is that females are more likely to use [[self-harm]] as a cry for help or an extreme grab for attention, while suicidal males would be more likely to genuinely want to end their lives{{Fact|date=January 2007}}.
  +
  +
===Race and suicide===
  +
[[Image:Suicide death rates for females aged 15 years and older, by race (1998).gif|thumb|Suicide rates for females 15 years or older.]]
  +
By race, in the United States, non-Hispanic whites are nearly 2.5 times more likely to kill themselves than are blacks or Hispanics.<ref>{{cite journal| last = Hoyert
  +
| first = Donna|| coauthors = Melonie P. Heron, Ph.D.; Sherry L. Murphy, B.S.; Hsiang-Ching Kung, Ph.D.| title = Deaths: Final Data for 2003| journal = National Vital Statistics Report| volume = 54| issue = 13| publisher = U.S. Department of Health and Human Services| date = [[2006-04-19]]| url = http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr54/nvsr54_13.pdf| accessdate = 2006-07-22 }}</ref> There is a marked divergence by age as seen in the chart below. Suicide rates for younger blacks and whites are approximately equal, but older whites, elderly white men especially, commit suicide far more often than older blacks. However [[Native American]]s, [[Multiracial|people of mixed race]], and [[Filipino American]]s are the three high risk groups of suicide in the [[United States]] than any ethnic group.
  +
  +
===Age and suicide===
  +
Children of either sex are 10&ndash;20 times less likely to die by suicide, and [[teenage suicide|teenagers]] 1.5&ndash;2 times less likely than adults of the same sex. The incidence of suicide among males over 75 years old is roughly twice that of other adult males.
  +
  +
===Social factors and suicide===
  +
Higher levels of social and national cohesion reduce suicide rates. Suicide levels are highest among the retired, [[unemployment|unemployed]], [[impoverished]], [[divorce]]d, the childless, [[urbanite]]s, [[empty nester]]s, and other people who live alone. Suicide rates also rise during times of economic uncertainty (although [[poverty]] is not a direct cause, it can contribute to the risk of suicide). [[Epidemiology|Epidemiological]] studies generally show a relationship between suicide or suicidal behaviors and socio-economic disadvantage, including limited educational achievement, [[homelessness]], unemployment, economic dependence and contact with the [[police]] or justice system.<ref>Former URL presents an untraceable 404 Error: http://www.health.gov.au/hsdd/mentalhe/resources/life/action.htm. Replacement: {{cite web
  +
| author=Diego De Leo & Russell Evans (Griffith University)
  +
| title=International Suicide Rates: Recent Trends and Implications for Australia
  +
| format=PDF
  +
| publisher=Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention
  +
| year=2003
  +
| url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/Publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs/$FILE/intsuicide.pdf
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref> [[War]] is always associated with a steep fall in suicides; for example, during [[World War I]] and [[World War II]] the rate fell markedly, even in neutral countries.
  +
  +
===Health and suicide===
  +
Mental disorders (particularly depression and substance abuse) are associated with more than 90% of all cases of suicide.<ref name="befrienders">{{cite web
  +
| author=Staff | title=Suicide Statistics
  +
| publisher=Befrienders Worldwide
  +
| year=2006
  +
| url=http://www.befrienders.org/info/statistics.php
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref>
  +
  +
[[Clinical depression|Depression]], either unipolar or as part of [[bipolar disorder]], is an especially common cause. [[Substance abuse]], severe physical disease or infirmity are also recognized causes.
  +
  +
An unknown amount of suicide fatalities are misdiagnosed as consequences of severe illness.
  +
  +
===Season and suicide===
  +
The idea that suicide is more common during the [[winter]] holidays (including [[Christmas]] in the [[northern hemisphere]]) is actually a myth, generally reinforced by media coverage associating suicide with the holiday season. The [[National Center for Health Statistics]] found that suicides drop during the winter months, and peak during [[spring (season)|spring]].
  +
  +
===Suicide trends===
  +
Certain time trends can be related to the type of death. In the [[United Kingdom]], for example, the steady rise in suicides from 1945 to 1965 was curtailed following the removal of [[carbon monoxide]] from domestic gas supplies which occurred with the change from [[coal gas]] to [[natural gas]]. Methods vary across cultures, and the easy availability of lethal agents and materials plays a role.
  +
  +
It is estimated that global annual suicide fatalities could rise to 1.5 million by 2020.
  +
Worldwide, suicide ranks among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years. Suicide attempts are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicides.<ref>{{cite web
  +
| author=Staff | title=SUPRE
  +
| publisher=World Health Organization
  +
| year=February 16, 2006
  +
| work=WHO sites: Mental Health
  +
| url=http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/supresuicideprevent/en/index.html
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref>
  +
  +
In 1998, the World Health Organization ranked suicide as the twelfth leading cause of death worldwide and eighth for the United States.<ref name="befrienders" />
  +
The highest rates of suicide in the world are found in Eastern European countries. The lowest rates are found mainly in Latin America and a few countries in Asia.<ref>{{cite web
  +
| author=Staff | title=Self-directed violence
  +
| format=PDF
  +
| publisher=World Health Organization
  +
| year=2002
  +
| url=http://www.who.int/entity/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/en/selfdirectedviolfacts.pdf
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref>
  +
  +
Worldwide, the incidence of suicides is higher than the incidence of intentional [[homicide]]s, except in [[Latin America]] and among certain minority groups such as [[African-Americans]].
  +
  +
According to the [[National Institute of Mental Health]], suicide contagion is a serious problem, especially for young people. Suicide can be facilitated in vulnerable teens by exposure to real or fictional accounts of suicide, including media coverage of suicide, such as intensive reporting of the suicide of a celebrity or idol.<ref>{{cite web
  +
| author=Staff
  +
| title=Frequently Asked Questions about Suicide
  +
| publisher=National Institute of Mental Health (United States)
  +
| year=December 1999
  +
| work=NIMH: Suicide Prevention
  +
| url=http://www.nimh.nih.gov/suicideprevention/suicidefaq.cfm
  +
| accessdate=2006-04-11
  +
}}</ref>
  +
  +
== High-risk groups ==
  +
{{unreferenced|date=September 2006}}
  +
  +
Several groups have a greater than average incidence of suicide. These high-risk groups usually are indicative of a larger problem leading to their decision.
  +
  +
These groups include:
  +
* Males 65 and older.
  +
* People who have lost a spouse, especially [[empty nest syndrome|empty-nesters]].
  +
* People in poor health, especially those with chronic pain and/or with a terminal illness.
  +
* Males who have recently [[divorce]]d.
  +
* Ethnic minorities
  +
* Criminals on the run.
  +
* Victims of [[spousal abuse]].
  +
* People who live in [[metropolitan area]]s.
  +
* [[Prisoners of war|POWs]], [[refugee]]s, and [[internally displaced person]]s.
  +
* People who live in [[poverty]]; people who are [[homelessness|homeless]].
  +
* [[The closet|Closeted]] [[homosexual]]s and [[bisexual]]s.
  +
* [[transsexualism|Transsexuals]], especially [[transwoman|male-to-females]].
  +
* Youth aged 15-24 are, as a whole, not a high-risk group. However, some of them are:
  +
** [[Gay]] and [[lesbian]] youth.
  +
** [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] youth.
  +
** [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]] youth.
  +
** [[Prison|Incarcerated]] youth.
  +
** Youth with access to [[firearm]]s.
  +
** Youth engaging in high-risk sexual or drug related behavior.
  +
** [[Low income]] youth.
  +
* People who suffer from [[mental illness]], especially [[bipolar disorder]], [[major depression]], [[borderline personality disorder]], and [[schizophrenia]].
  +
* People who are [[disability|disabled]], such as [[blindness|blind]], [[deafness|deaf]], and/or [[paralysis|paralyzed]]; those who were born with such disabilites are at high-risk.
  +
* People who have previously [[attempted suicide]].
  +
* Victims of childhood [[sexual abuse]] or [[rape]].
  +
* People with no one to depend on emotionally (no friends or parents to talk to).
  +
  +
{{Expand-section|date=January 2007}}
  +
  +
==Possible warning signs==
  +
The warning signs listed are not necessarily risk factors for suicide and may include common behaviors among distressed persons. Many people experience occasional mood swings and behavior changes that may not be due to depressive or suicidal thoughts.
  +
  +
*Giving away prized possessions
  +
*Abrupt and extreme changes in eating and sleeping habits
  +
*Loss of interests in activities normally enjoyed
  +
*Negative comments about oneself
  +
*Talking about attempting suicide
  +
*[[Self harm]]
  +
*Extreme lack of concern for personal safety
  +
*Extreme interest in suicide.
  +
*Preoccupation with death or tragedy.
  +
  +
==See also==
  +
  +
  +
==References==
  +
<references/>
  +
  +
[[Category:Suicide]]
  +
[[Category:Epidemiology]]
   
⚫
[[Official suicide statistics: Constraints and limitations]]
  
   
   
⚫
[[Epidemiology of adolescent suicide]]
  
   
   
Line 13: Line 172:
   
 
==See also==
  
==See also==
  ⚫
*[[Official suicide statistics: Constraints and limitations]]
  +
*[[List of countries by suicide rate]]
  ⚫
*[[Epidemiology of adolescent suicide]]
   
 
==References & Bibliography==
  
==References & Bibliography==

Revision as of 16:26, 22 January 2007

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It is probable that the incidence of suicide is widely under-reported due to both religious and social pressures, and possibly completely unreported in some areas. Nevertheless, from the known suicides, certain trends are apparent. However, since the data is skewed, attempts to compare suicide rates between nations is statistically unwise. The trends themselves are not the cause, but may be indicative of a root cause.

Epidemiology

Regional suicide stats

Rate of suicide in the United States.

A recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that nearly a million people take their own lives every year, more than those murdered or killed in war.[1] WHO figures show a suicide takes place somewhere in the world every 40 seconds. The numbers are highest in Europe's Baltic states, where around 40 people per 100,000 die by suicide each year, second in line is in the Sub-Saharan Africa where 32 people per 100,000 die by suicide each year. The lowest numbers are seen in Malta, a devout Catholic island state in the Mediterranean, where some years the rate is zero.

Gender and suicide

Suicide rates in U.S

U.S. Suicide Rates by Age, Gender, and Racial Group.

In the United States, males are four times more likely to die by suicide than females. Male suicide rates are higher than females in all age groups (the ratio varies from 3:1 to 10:1). In other western countries, males are also much more likely to die by suicide than females (usually by a factor of 3–4:1). It was the 8th leading cause of death for males, and 19th leading cause of death for females.[2]

Excess male mortality from suicide is also evident from data from non-Western countries. In 1979-81, out of 74 countries with a non-zero suicide rate, two reported equal rates for the sexes (Seychelles and Kenya), three reported female rates exceeding male rates (Papua-New Guinea, Macao, and French Guiana), while the remaining 69 countries had male suicide rates greater than female suicide rates. [3]

While there are more completed male suicides than female, females are more likely to attempt suicide. One possible explanation of this statistical phenomenon, supported by a study by Rich, Ricketts, Fowler, and Young, is that males tend to use more "violent, immediately lethal methods of suicide" than females.[4] Another explanation is that females are more likely to use self-harm as a cry for help or an extreme grab for attention, while suicidal males would be more likely to genuinely want to end their lives[How to reference and link to summary or text].

Race and suicide

Suicide death rates for females aged 15 years and older, by race (1998)

Suicide rates for females 15 years or older.

By race, in the United States, non-Hispanic whites are nearly 2.5 times more likely to kill themselves than are blacks or Hispanics.[5] There is a marked divergence by age as seen in the chart below. Suicide rates for younger blacks and whites are approximately equal, but older whites, elderly white men especially, commit suicide far more often than older blacks. However Native Americans, people of mixed race, and Filipino Americans are the three high risk groups of suicide in the United States than any ethnic group.

Age and suicide

Children of either sex are 10–20 times less likely to die by suicide, and teenagers 1.5–2 times less likely than adults of the same sex. The incidence of suicide among males over 75 years old is roughly twice that of other adult males.

Social factors and suicide

Higher levels of social and national cohesion reduce suicide rates. Suicide levels are highest among the retired, unemployed, impoverished, divorced, the childless, urbanites, empty nesters, and other people who live alone. Suicide rates also rise during times of economic uncertainty (although poverty is not a direct cause, it can contribute to the risk of suicide). Epidemiological studies generally show a relationship between suicide or suicidal behaviors and socio-economic disadvantage, including limited educational achievement, homelessness, unemployment, economic dependence and contact with the police or justice system.[6] War is always associated with a steep fall in suicides; for example, during World War I and World War II the rate fell markedly, even in neutral countries.

Health and suicide

Mental disorders (particularly depression and substance abuse) are associated with more than 90% of all cases of suicide.[7]

Depression, either unipolar or as part of bipolar disorder, is an especially common cause. Substance abuse, severe physical disease or infirmity are also recognized causes.

An unknown amount of suicide fatalities are misdiagnosed as consequences of severe illness.

Season and suicide

The idea that suicide is more common during the winter holidays (including Christmas in the northern hemisphere) is actually a myth, generally reinforced by media coverage associating suicide with the holiday season. The National Center for Health Statistics found that suicides drop during the winter months, and peak during spring.

Suicide trends

Certain time trends can be related to the type of death. In the United Kingdom, for example, the steady rise in suicides from 1945 to 1965 was curtailed following the removal of carbon monoxide from domestic gas supplies which occurred with the change from coal gas to natural gas. Methods vary across cultures, and the easy availability of lethal agents and materials plays a role.

It is estimated that global annual suicide fatalities could rise to 1.5 million by 2020. Worldwide, suicide ranks among the three leading causes of death among those aged 15-44 years. Suicide attempts are up to 20 times more frequent than completed suicides.[8]

In 1998, the World Health Organization ranked suicide as the twelfth leading cause of death worldwide and eighth for the United States.[7] The highest rates of suicide in the world are found in Eastern European countries. The lowest rates are found mainly in Latin America and a few countries in Asia.[9]

Worldwide, the incidence of suicides is higher than the incidence of intentional homicides, except in Latin America and among certain minority groups such as African-Americans.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide contagion is a serious problem, especially for young people. Suicide can be facilitated in vulnerable teens by exposure to real or fictional accounts of suicide, including media coverage of suicide, such as intensive reporting of the suicide of a celebrity or idol.[10]

High-risk groups

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Several groups have a greater than average incidence of suicide. These high-risk groups usually are indicative of a larger problem leading to their decision.

These groups include:


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See talk page for details. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded.


Possible warning signs

The warning signs listed are not necessarily risk factors for suicide and may include common behaviors among distressed persons. Many people experience occasional mood swings and behavior changes that may not be due to depressive or suicidal thoughts.

  • Giving away prized possessions
  • Abrupt and extreme changes in eating and sleeping habits
  • Loss of interests in activities normally enjoyed
  • Negative comments about oneself
  • Talking about attempting suicide
  • Self harm
  • Extreme lack of concern for personal safety
  • Extreme interest in suicide.
  • Preoccupation with death or tragedy.

See also

References

  1. ↑ (February 16, 2006). Suicide prevention. WHO Sites: Mental Health. World Health Organization. URL accessed on 2006-04-11.
  2. ↑ (2001). Teen Suicide Statistics. Adolescent Teenage Suicide Prevention. FamilyFirstAid.org. URL accessed on 2006-04-11.
  3. ↑ Lester, Patterns, Table 3.3, pp. 31-33
  4. ↑ Rich, CL, JE Ricketts, RC Fowler and D Young (1988). Some differences between men and women who commit suicide. American Journal of Psychiatry 145: 718–722. PMID 3369559.
  5. ↑ Hoyert, Donna, Melonie P. Heron, Ph.D.; Sherry L. Murphy, B.S.; Hsiang-Ching Kung, Ph.D. (2006-04-19). Deaths: Final Data for 2003. National Vital Statistics Report 54 (13).
  6. ↑ Former URL presents an untraceable 404 Error: http://www.health.gov.au/hsdd/mentalhe/resources/life/action.htm. Replacement: Diego De Leo & Russell Evans (Griffith University) (2003). International Suicide Rates: Recent Trends and Implications for Australia. (PDF) Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention. URL accessed on 2006-04-11.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Staff (2006). Suicide Statistics. Befrienders Worldwide. URL accessed on 2006-04-11.
  8. ↑ Staff (February 16, 2006). SUPRE. WHO sites: Mental Health. World Health Organization. URL accessed on 2006-04-11.
  9. ↑ Staff (2002). Self-directed violence. (PDF) World Health Organization. URL accessed on 2006-04-11.
  10. ↑ Staff (December 1999). Frequently Asked Questions about Suicide. NIMH: Suicide Prevention. National Institute of Mental Health (United States). URL accessed on 2006-04-11.





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References & Bibliography

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