Methods of suicide: international suicide patters derived from the WHO mortality database

Abstract

Objective Accurate information about preferred suicide methods is important for devising strategies and programmes for suicide prevention. Our knowledge of the methods used and their variation across countries and world regions is still limited. The aim of this study was to provide the first comprehensive overview of international patterns of suicide methods. Methods Data encoded according to the International Classification of Diseases (10th revision) were derived from the WHO mortality database. The classification was used to differentiate suicide methods. Correspondence analysis was used to identify typical patterns of suicide methods in different countries by providing a summary of cross-tabulated data. Findings Poisoning by pesticide was common in many Asian countries and in Latin America; poisoning by drugs was common in both Nordic countries and the United Kingdom. Hanging was the preferred method of suicide in eastern Europe, as was firearm suicide in the United States and jumping from a high place in cities and urban societies such as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Correspondence analysis demonstrated a polarization between pesticide suicide and firearm suicide at the expense of traditional methods, such as hanging and jumping from a high place, which lay in between. Conclusion This analysis showed that pesticide suicide and firearm suicide replaced traditional methods in many countries. The observed suicide pattern depended upon the availability of the methods used, in particular the availability of technical means. The present evidence indicates that restricting access to the means of suicide is more urgent and more technically feasible than ever.

Hanging as a method of suicide in Ghana: A 10 year autopsy study

“…The great majority of suicide deaths in this study were males, with male -female ratio of 7:1. This is similar to studies that found the male gender to commonly commit suicide by hanging [21][22][23][24][25].…”

“…For any individual to successfully commit suicide by hanging no matter the geographical location or level of education, access to a ligature is an important factor that leads the person to suicidal action [25,26]. In this study victims committed suicide using every day common items such as; ropes, belts, electric cables, sponge and cloths.…”

Mortalidad por suicidio en Chile: tendencias en los años 1998-2011

“…Los factores de riesgo asociados al suicidio son variados, pero destacan entre otros las enfermedades mentales, el alcoholismo, el abuso de drogas, las enfermedades crónicas, desajustes emocionales y violencia 3 .…”

From pesticides to medicinal drugs: time series analyses of methods of self-harm in Sri Lanka

“…the abandonment of one common method of self-harm and its substitution with another method) has not been widely reported. Although, as in many developing countries, pesticide poisoning is a major cause of death in Sri Lanka, 8,13 medicinal drugs were found to be the commonest substances used by the self-poisoning patients investigated at a tertiary care hospital in the city of Colombo in 2007. 14 We set out to investigate recent changes in the methods of self-harm in Sri Lanka -particularly the changes in the methods employed by people attempting suicide -and to explore if such changes could explain the substantial decline in suicide rates.…”