Citation

Hawton KE, Arensman E, Wasserman D, Hultén A, Bille-Brahe U, Bjerke T, Crepet P, Deisenhammer EA, Kerkhof A, De Leo D, Michel K, Ostamo A, Philippe A, Querejeta I, Salander-Renberg E, Schmidtke A, Temesváry B. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 1998; 52(3): 191-194.

Affiliation

University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9616425

PMCID

PMC1756691

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if there are associations between rates of suicide and attempted suicide in 15-24 year olds in different countries in Europe. DESIGN: Attempted suicide rates were based on data collected in centres in Europe between 1989 and 1992 as part of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study of Parasuicide. Comparison was made with both national suicide rates and local suicide rates for the areas in which the attempted suicide monitoring centres are based. SETTING: 15 centres in 13 European countries. PATIENTS: Young people aged 15-24 years who had taken overdoses or deliberately injured themselves and been identified in health care facilities. MAIN RESULTS: There were positive correlations (Spearman rank order) between rates of attempted suicide and suicide rates in both sexes. The correlations only reached statistical significance for male subjects: regional suicide rates, r = 0.65, p < 0.02; national suicide rates, r = 0.55, p < 0.02. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of attempted suicide and suicide in the young covary. The recent increase in attempted suicide rates in young male subjects in several European countries could herald a further increase in suicide rates.

Language: en