Geospatial clustering of suicide mortality in Sardinia

Is the Sardinian Blue Zone the New Shangri-La for mental health? Evidence on depressive symptoms and its correlates in late adult life span

“…However, this study has some limitations, such as the exclusive recruitment of community-dwellers, paucity of tools examining perceived mental health, lack of longitudinal evidence, and lack of an exhaustive clinical assessment to diagnose or exclude major depression cases. Concerning the last critical point, a recent study conducted on the adult population showed that suicide mortality is very high in the rural municipalities located in the southern-eastern part of Sardinia (i.e., a territory including also the SBZ) [ 37 ]. In line with this evidence, another investigation conducted in Sardinian urban and rural areas documented that suicidal acts (i.e., attempts or actual suicides) were lower in the metropolitan area of Cagliari than in the remaining Sardinian territory [ 38 ].…”

“…According to the authors [ 37 , 38 ], social isolation (favored by the village altitude and lower population density), occupational difficulties, difficult access to public services (e.g., schools, banks, pharmacies), family history of psychiatric disorders, abuse of substances (including alcohol), and low per capita income are risk factors for the suicide of Sardinian adults. However, controversial evidence has been found concerning the gender effect—one study documented higher suicide mortality among men [ 37 ], whereas the other one revealed that suicidality (i.e., ideation or act) is more likely among females [ 38 ]. Furthermore, no specific information has been documented about suicide mortality or suicidality ideation among Sardinian older adults.…”