TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Suicide in the Northern Territory, 1981-2002
JO  - Medical journal of Australia
A1  - Measey, Mary-Anne L.
A1  - Li, Shuo-qi
A1  - Parker, Rhian
A1  - Wang, Zhongyan
SP  - 315
EP  - 319
VL  - 185
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in suicide in the Northern Territory between 1981 and 2002, and demographic and other characteristics of people completing suicide in the Top End region in 2000-2002. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics death registration data and data from the NT Coroner's Office. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: All residents of the NT who completed suicide between 1981 and 2002. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in the age-adjusted and age- and sex-specific rates of suicide in Indigenous and non-Indigenous NT residents over time; prior diagnosis of mental illness and use of alcohol or other drugs by those completing suicide. RESULTS: The age-adjusted suicide rate in the NT increased significantly between 1981 and 2002 (P < 0.001). Over this period, the rates among the Indigenous and non-Indigenous male populations increased by 800% (P < 0.05) and 30% (P > 0.05), respectively. Indigenous males aged under 45 years and non-Indigenous males aged 65 years and over were most at risk. In the Top End, a history of diagnosed mental illness was present in 49% of suicide cases, and misuse of alcohol or other drugs around the time of death was associated with 72% of suicide cases. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the rising rate of suicide in the NT and suggests that suicide prevention initiatives need to specifically target Indigenous and non-Indigenous males in the age groups most at risk.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0025-729X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -