Suicide epidemiology and demographics
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Studies show a high incidence of psychiatric disorders in suicide victims at the time of their death with the total figure ranging from 98% to 87.3% with mood disorders and substance abuse being the two most common. In schizophrenia suicide can be triggered by either the depression that is common with this disorder, or in response to command auditory hallucinations. Suicide among people suffering from bipolar disorder is often an impulse, which is due to the sufferer's extreme mood swings (one of the main symptoms of bipolar disorder), or also possibly an outcome of delusions occurring during an episode of mania or psychotic depression. Severe depression is considered a terminal illness due to the likelihood of suicide when left untreated.
Epidemiology and Demographics
Prevalence
Age
Sex
Race/ethnicity
National suicide rates sometimes tend to remain stable. For example, the 1975 rates for Australia, Denmark, England, France, Norway, and Switzerland were within 3.0 per 100,000 of population from the 1875 rates.[1] The rates in 1910–14 and in 1960 differed less than 2.5 per 100,000 of the population in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, England and Wales, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands.[2]
| Rank | Country | Males | Females | Total | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 70.1 | 14.0 | 40.2 | 2004 |
| 2 | Belarus | 63.3 | 10.3 | 35.1 | 2003 |
| 3 | Russia | 61.6 | 10.7 | 34.3 | 2004 |
| 4 | Kazakhstan | 51.0 | 8.9 | 29.2 | 2003 |
| 5 | Hungary | 44.9 | 12.0 | 27.7 | 2003 |
| 6 | Guyana | 42.5 | 12.1 | 27.2 | 2003 |
| 7 | South Korea[4][5] | N/A | N/A | 26.1 | 2005 |
| 8 | Slovenia | 37.9 | 13.9 | 25.6 | 2004 |
| 9 | Latvia | 42.9 | 8.5 | 24.3 | 2004 |
| 10 | Japan | 35.6 | 12.8 | 24.0 | 2004 |
There are considerable differences in national suicide rates among various countries. Findings from two studies showed a range from 0 to more than 40 suicides per 100,000 of population.[6]
National suicide rates, apparently universally, show a long-term upward trend. This trend has been well-documented in European countries.[7] The trend for national suicide rates to rise slowly over time might be an indirect result of the gradual reduction in deaths from other causes, i.e. falling death rates from causes other than suicide uncover a previously hidden predisposition towards suicide.[8][9] There may also be an explanation in the reduced stigma attached to survivors as suicide is no longer considered a crime or a sin. This may allow coroners to record more suicides as such and so increase stats.
Ethnic groups and suicide: In the USA, Asian-Americans are more likely to die by suicide than any other ethnic group. Caucasians die by suicide more often than African Americans do. This is true for both genders. Non-Hispanic Caucasians are nearly 2.5 times more likely to kill themselves than are African Americans or Hispanics.[10]
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Season and suicide: People die by suicide more often during spring and summer. The idea that suicide is more common during the winter holidays (including Christmas in the northern hemisphere) is a common misconception.[11] There is also potential risk of suicide in some people experiencing Seasonal affective disorder.
References
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1983; Lester, Patterns, 1996, p. 21
- ↑ Lester, Patterns, 1996, p. 22
- ↑ Country reports and charts available, World Health Organization, accessed on March 16 2008.
- ↑ Suicide in South Korea Case of Too Little, Too Late, OhmyNews KOREA
- ↑ S. Korea has top suicide rate among OECD countries, Seoul, September 18, 2006 Yonhap News
- ↑ La Vecchia, C., Lucchini, F., & Levi, F. (1994) Worldwide trends in suicide mortality, 1955-1989. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 90, 53-64.; Lester, Patterns, 1996, pp. 28-30.
- ↑ Lester, Patterns, 1996, p. 2.
- ↑ Baldessarini, R. J., & Jamison, K. R. (1999) Effects of medical interventions on suicidal behavior. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60 (Suppl. 2), 117-122.
- ↑ Khan, A., Warner, H. A., & Brown, W. A. (2000) Symptom reduction and suicide risk in patients treated with placebo in antidepressant clinical trials. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 311-317.
- ↑ Template:PDFlink
- ↑ "Questions About Suicide". Centre For Suicide Prevention. 2006.