Archives of Suicide Research

Kelleher, Michael J; Corcoran, Paul; Keeley, Helen S; Chambers, Derek; Williamson, Eileen; McAuliffe, Carmel; Burke, Ursula; Byrne, Sinéad

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951166pmid: N/A

The recent rise in the Irish suicide rate is a male phenomenon. The present paper calculates urban and rural suicide rates for Ireland and looks at some possible explanatory variables for the differences observed. Irish suicide and undetermined death rates, age-adjusted to the European Standard Population, are calculated for the years 1976 to 1994 to determine if there are any discernible trends between urban and rural areas. Possible associated factors are then examined, including the distribution of psychiatric illness using the National Psychiatric In-Patient Reporting Scheme. Between 1980 and 1990, the Irish rural male suicide rate rose by 50% while there was no increase in the male urban rate. The most radical increases have occurred in the young and elderly rural males. A. t the start of the study period, the urban female suicide rate was higher than the rural rate but the two rates have been almost identical since 1985. Some factors associated with suicide were examined but failed to provide sufficient explanation for the difference in rates. Further research is needed to clarify the reasons for these differences and to monitor ongoing trends.

Webb, L. Dean; Glass, Gene; Metha, Arlene; Cobb, Casey

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951167pmid: N/A

A time series analysis of the relationship between suicide rates for several demographic groups and economic variables (unemployment, Gross National Product, and Consumer Price Index) in the United States for the period 1929 to 1992 was examined. When unemployment precedes suicide by one year, a modest relationship between unemployment and suicide was found for Whites and both males and females. The association was strongest for males. There was also an association between unemployment and suicide for the age group 45–64 years. There were no relationships found between suicide and the Gross National Product nor suicide and the Consumer Price Index.

Fernquist, Robert M.

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951168pmid: N/A

Because some individuals' identities are influenced by an affiliation with professional sports teams (Tutko, 1989), the impact of the 1994–1995 professional baseball and hockey strikes on suicide and homicide rates is examined. Gabennesch's (1988) theory of broken promises is the theoretical framework used to examine the relationship between the strikes and bomicide/suicide rates. Controlling for divorce and unemployment rates, and seasonality, results show a positive relationship between homicide rates, but not suicide rates, and the strikes. Gabennesch's theory is reformulated to explain these findings. Thanks are expressed to Phillips Cutright and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts, and also to Diana Whistler for technical assistance.

Chotai, Jayanti; Renberg, Ellinor Salander; Jacobsson, Lars

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951169pmid: N/A

All completed suicides during the 42 years 1952–1993 in the comity of Västerbotten in northern Sweden (1,466 cases) were analysed by multiple logistic regressions to relate suicide methods with gender, age, place of residence, marital status, year of suicide, season of suicide, and season of birth. The ratio of preferences between hanging and firearms remained stable throughout 1952–1993, both to be overtaken in preference first by petrol gases and then by poisoning in recent years. Firearms were preferred significantly more often by males and in rural areas having a long tradition of hunting wild life. Poisoning and drowning were preferred more often by females, nonmarried (single, divorced, widow/widower) and in urban Umeå. Drowning was preferred around summer and by the older group. Petrol gases were preferred by younger persons, males, married and in urban Umeå. Those born during the season January to April were more likely to prefer hanging rather than poisoning or petrol gases. Preference depends both on availability and acceptability. Associations between preference for the suicide methods and their availability were found. Variations in preference were found with respect to the individual's sociodemographic and temporal circumstances. No criteria valid generally across the sociodemographic variables justified a grouping of the methods into violent and nonviolent. The study was partly supported by grants from the Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination of Research and the Swedish Council for Social Research.

Overholser, James C.; Stockmeier, Craig; Dilley*, Ginny; Freiheit*, Stacy

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951170pmid: N/A

Personality disorders may play an important role in understanding suicide risk. The present study was designed to examine the frequency and type of personality disorder traits relevant to suicidal behavior. Four groups of subjects were compared: Suicide completers (n = 15), suicide attempters (n = 14), depressed natural deaths (n = 13), and nondepressed natural deaths (n = 15). The Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders – Revised (SIDP-R) was used to gather information needed to rate the presence and severity of 11 personality disorders. No differences were observed across groups on the categorical presence or absence of the different personality disorder diagnoses. However, dimensional ratings revealed that suicide completers displayed significant elevations in narcissistic, histrionic, and borderline personality traits. Suicide attempters displayed significant elevations on paranoid, avoidant, schizotypal, dependent, and borderline personality traits. At the level of specific personality traits, suicide completers displayed a sense of entitlement toward others, tended to be preoccupied with feelings of envy, and were likely to feel devastated when close relationships came to an end. The present findings suggest that personality traits are related to suicidal behavior, and that a focus on the dichotomous presence or absence of a diagnostic category fails to identify less severe forms of personality pathology. This research was supported in part by a grant from the NIMH (MH 45488) to the second author. We thank Herb Meltzer, M.D. for assistance with the psychiatric diagnoses, and Deval Shah for assistance with data entry.

van Heeringen, Kees; De Volder, Veerle

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951171pmid: N/A

This paper describes gender-specific trends in the occurrence and methods of attempted suicide in adolescents and young adults between 1986 and 1995 in Gent. The overall pattern emerging from this study is that following a decrease in the rates of attempted suicide in the second half of the 1980s, rates have clearly increased in the 1990s, especially among adolescent males. A slight predominance of female attempters was found in the 15 to 19 age group while among young adults the female to male ratio was approximately 1.0. Deliberate self-poisoning was involved in the vast majority of attempts, although among young adults significantly more males than females used deliberate self-injury to attempt suicide. In view of increasing rates of suicide among young people in many countries and of the association between attempted suicide and suicide, further study of trends and characteristics of attempted suicide among young people is warranted.

Nirui, Meredith; Dudley, Michael; Adily, Armita; Ferson, Mark

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951172pmid: N/A

A descriptive, cross sectional, retrospective audit of admission records and hospital casualty cards were undertaken to determine the accuracy of identification of cases of deliberate self-poisoning (DSP) among youth admitted and presenting for self poisoning. To investigate the rate of admission for poisoning presentations. From 1,260 cases of poisoning, aged 10–25 years, admitted to three university teaching hospitals in Sydney during 1991 to 1994, a sample of 167 medical record files was reviewed. From 11,100 presentations of 10–25 year olds to the emergency rooms of two of these hospitals in the same period, a random sample of 1,200 was reviewed. The diagnostic code of Deliberate Self Poisoning (DSP) admissions is low in sensitivity (50% were wrongly coded as accidental) and high in specificity (only one was wrongly coded as deliberate). Alcohol overdose, lack of DSP identification, and past or present history of a mental health problem were associated. The misclassification rate if generalizable to other settings, suggests that DSP admission rates may be underestimated by 100%.

Dudley, Michael; Nirui, Meredith

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951173pmid: N/A

Descriptive, cross sectional, retrospective audit of hospital admission records was undertaken for youth (10–25 years) deliberate self poisoning (DSP) admissions, to ascertain (1) the frequency of psychiatric assessment (2) the quality of information collected, and (3) frequency and completeness of follow-up plans. Patients and setting: From 1,260 youth poisoning admissions to three university teaching hospitals in Sydney in 1991–1994, a stratified random sample of 167 cases was selected for medical record review. 16% of cases did not have a psychiatric assessment or this information was absent. Key mental health data in the rest (e.g., regarding self-harm history, life events, psychotropic drugs) were often missing. Follow-up plans, organised in 37%, were rarely systematically documented. Identified mental health patients were less likely to be coded as having deliberately self-harmed. Women were 1.82 times more likely to receive a psychiatric assessment than men. Compared to older patients, younger ones more often received mental health assessment (p = 0.02), and younger identified mental health patients more often received assertive follow-up plans (U = 187, p = 0.04).

Zhang, Jie; Jia, Shuhua; Wieczorek, William F.; Jiang, Chao

doi: 10.1080/13811110208951174pmid: 20686645

Chinese suicide research did not start until the end of 1970s, when China opened its door to the West through reforming its economy. Although limited Chinese suicide research conducted overseas is published and known to the West, studies conducted by Chinese researchers and published in Chinese language, which may be of more significance, are rarely known or cited in the West. Further, researchers in China with direct observation of the suicidal environment may understand the suicide differently than scholars overseas with second hand information, and therefore derive different explanations of Chinese suicide. This article provides an overview of suicide research conducted in China and published in Chinese during the past two decades and compares the findings with what has been reported in Western publications. Six research books and 429 journal articles are reviewed. As units of analysis, all journal articles are quantified with 151 variables analysed. Results support findings of previous studies in terms of the suicide rates by gender, age, and rural/urban location. A unique phenomenon in Chinese suicide noticed in the study is that married Chinese are at higher risk of suicide than the non-married. Hypotheses for future research are suggested based on the articles reviewed. Funding of this manuscript was provided by the NYS Office of Children & Family Services and the Niagara Country Department of Social Services through the Center for Development of Human Services, Research Foundation of SUNY, Buffalo State College.

Leenaars, Antoon; Cantor, Chris; Connolly, John; EchoHawk, Marlene; Gailiene, Danute; He, Zhao Xiong; Kokorina, Natalia; Lester, David; Lopatin, Andrew; Rodriguez, Mario; Schlebusch, Lourens; Takahashi, Yoshitomo; Vijayakumar, Lakshmi