scholarly journals Trends in method-specific suicide in Brazil from 2000 to 2017

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keltie McDonald ◽  
Daiane Borges Machado ◽  
Luís F. S. Castro-de-Araujo ◽  
Lígia Kiss ◽  
Alexis Palfreyman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
State Level ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Undetermined Intent ◽  
National Mortality ◽  
Firearm Availability ◽  
High Place

Abstract Purpose Understanding long-term patterns of suicide methods can inform public health policy and prevention strategies. In Brazil, firearm-related policies may be one salient target for suicide prevention. This study describes trends in method-specific suicide at the national and state-levels in Brazil, with a particular focus on firearm-related suicides. Methods Brazilian mortality data for suicide and undetermined intent among people aged 10 years and older between 2000 and 2017 were obtained from the National Mortality Information System. We examined national and state-level trends in age-standardised suicide rates for hanging, self-poisoning, firearms, jumping from a high place, other, and unspecified methods. We also compared total rates of mortality from suicide and undetermined intent over the period. Applying Joinpoint regression, we tested changes in trends of firearm-specific suicide rates. Results The total suicide rate increased between 2000 and 2017. Rates of hanging, self-poisoning by drugs or alcohol and jumping from a high place showed the largest increases, while firearm-specific suicide rates decreased over the study period. Trends in methods of suicide varied by sex and state. Conclusion It is of public health concern that suicide rates in Brazil have risen this millennium. Restricting access to firearms might be an effective approach for reducing firearm-specific suicides, especially in states where firearm availability remains particularly high. Treatment and management of substance misuse may also be an important target for suicide prevention policies. More work is needed to understand the causes of rising suicide rates in Brazil and to improve the mental health of the population.

scholarly journals The effect of average temperature on suicide rates in five urban California counties, 1999–⁠2019: an ecological time series analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sierra Cheng ◽  
Rebecca Plouffe ◽  
Stephanie M. Nanos ◽  
Mavra Qamar ◽  
David N. Fisman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
The United States ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Average Maximum

Abstract Background Suicide is among the top 10 leading causes of premature morality in the United States and its rates continue to increase. Thus, its prevention has become a salient public health responsibility. Risk factors of suicide transcend the individual and societal level as risk can increase based on climatic variables. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the association between average temperature and suicide rates in the five most populous counties in California using mortality data from 1999 to 2019. Methods Monthly counts of death by suicide for the five counties of interest were obtained from CDC WONDER. Monthly average, maximum, and minimum temperature were obtained from nCLIMDIV for the same time period. We modelled the association of each temperature variable with suicide rate using negative binomial generalized additive models accounting for the county-specific annual trend and monthly seasonality. Results There were over 38,000 deaths by suicide in California’s five most populous counties between 1999 and 2019. An increase in average temperature of 1 °C corresponded to a 0.82% increase in suicide rate (IRR = 1.0082 per °C; 95% CI = 1.0025–1.0140). Estimated coefficients for maximum temperature (IRR = 1.0069 per °C; 95% CI = 1.0021–1.0117) and minimum temperature (IRR = 1.0088 per °C; 95% CI = 1.0023–1.0153) were similar. Conclusion This study adds to a growing body of evidence supporting a causal effect of elevated temperature on suicide. Further investigation into environmental causes of suicide, as well as the biological and societal contexts mediating these relationships, is critical for the development and implementation of new public health interventions to reduce the incidence of suicide, particularly in the face increasing temperatures due to climate change.

The Recent Rise of Suicide Mortality in the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gonzalo Martínez-Alés ◽  
Tammy Jiang ◽  
Katherine M. Keyes ◽  
Jaimie L. Gradus
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Suicide Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Annual Review ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Subsequent Decrease

Suicide is a major public health concern in the United States. Between 2000 and 2018, US suicide rates increased by 35%, contributing to the stagnation and subsequent decrease in US life expectancy. During 2019, suicide declined modestly, mostly owing to slight reductions in suicides among Whites. Suicide rates, however, continued to increase or remained stable among all other racial/ethnic groups, and little is known about recent suicide trends among other vulnerable groups. This article ( a) summarizes US suicide mortality trends over the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, ( b) reviews potential group-level causes of increased suicide risk among subpopulations characterized by markers of vulnerability to suicide, and ( c) advocates for combining recent advances in population-based suicide prevention with a socially conscious perspective that captures the social, economic, and political contexts in which suicide risk unfolds over the life course of vulnerable individuals. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 43 is April 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

scholarly journals Elderly suicide rates: the importance of a non-linear relationship with distal risk and protective factors

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1363-1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajit Shah ◽  
Ravi Bhat ◽  
Sofia Zarate-Escudero
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Risk And Protective Factors ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
National Study ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Suicide Rates

The elderly population size is increasing worldwide due to prolonged life expectancy and falling birth rates. Traditionally, suicide rates increase with age. For example, a recent cross-national study of 62 developing and developed countries reported an increase in suicide rates with aging in males and females in 25 and 27 countries respectively (Shah, 2007a). Thus, suicides in the elderly are an important public health concern. While much is known about proximal (individual level) risk and protective factors for elderly suicides (e.g. Conwell et al., 1991; Cattell and Jolley, 1995; Harwood et al., 2001), less is known about more distal (societal or population level) risk and protective factors (Rehkopf and Buka, 2006). Moreover, detailed knowledge of these distal factors may have greater public health relevance for the development of comprehensive prevention strategies (Knox et al., 2004).

scholarly journals Suicide reduction in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons informing national prevention strategies for suicide reduction

2021 ◽  
pp. 014107682110431
Author(s):  
Roger S McIntyre ◽  
Leanna MW Lui ◽  
Joshua D Rosenblat ◽  
Roger Ho ◽  
Hartej Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
National Database ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Measures ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Statistics Canada ◽  
The Impact

Objective The objective of this research was to evaluate the impact of federal, public health and social support programs on national suicide rates in Canada. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Canadian National Database (i.e., Statistics Canada) and Statista. Participants Population-level data, and economic and consumer market data. Main Outcome Measures Suicide mortality data, population data and unemployment data were obtained from available statistical databases (e.g. Statistics Canada). We quantified suicide rate by dividing the total number of suicide deaths by the national population expressed as a rate per 100,000 population. Results Overall suicide mortality rate decreased in Canada from 10.82 deaths per 100,000 in the March 2019 - February 2020 period to 7.34 per 100,000 (i.e. absolute difference of 1300 deaths) in the March 2020 - February 2021 period. The overall Canadian unemployment rate changed from an average monthly rate of 5.7% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2020. Conclusion Our results indicate that for the first post-pandemic interval evaluated (i.e., March 2020 - February 2021), suicide rates in Canada decreased against a background of extraordinary public health measures intended to mitigate community spread of COVID-19. An externality of public health measures was a significant rise in national unemployment rates in population measures of distress. Our results suggest that government interventions that broadly aim to reduce measures of insecurity (i.e., economic, housing, health), and timely psychiatric services, should be prioritised as part of a national suicide reduction strategy, not only during but after termination of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Gun shop projects’ for suicide prevention in the USA: current state and future directions

2020 ◽  
pp. injuryprev-2020-043648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan Polzer ◽  
Sara Brandspigel ◽  
Timothy Kelly ◽  
Marian Betz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
National Level ◽  
State Level ◽  
Programme Implementation ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The Impact

ObjectivesTo describe community-driven suicide prevention partnerships between firearm retailers and public health officials (‘gun shop projects’), including common elements and challenges.MethodsWe conducted qualitative interviews with leaders from state-level and national-level partnerships to determine common features, challenges and strategies used by these groups. Data were coded via theme analysis; two independent coders followed a shared codebook developed in an iterative fashion and with high inter-rater reliability.ResultsAcross 10 interviews, data revealed four main themes: (1) community building was a cornerstone of these efforts; (2) appropriate messaging and language were vital to successes; (3) groups employed various educational and outreach campaigns and (4) groups identified common challenges and obstacles.ConclusionsGun shop project partnerships between firearm retailers and public health officials show promise, with thematic data demonstrating common trends and steps towards successful programme implementation. Evaluative data are needed to determine the impact of these efforts on suicide prevention in local communities.

Evidence-based suicide prevention strategies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 795-800
Author(s):  
Danuta Wasserman ◽  
Vladimir Carli
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Risk And Protective Factors ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The Impact

Evidence has shown that during times of crises, suicide rates can decrease but tend to increase as the crisis alleviates. The consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic, whether direct or indirect, will be far reaching. In this chapter the impact of the pandemic on the risk and protective factors of suicide, grouped according to the socio-ecological model at individual, relationship, community, and society levels, is described. To prevent unnecessary suicides, the effects of Covid-19 pandemic, on health care and public health suicide prevention strategies, and recommendations for implementation are presented.

The Association between Firearm Control Policies and Firearm Suicide among Men: A State-Level Age-Stratified Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-258
Author(s):  
Carol Leung ◽  
Mark S Kaplan ◽  
Ziming Xuan
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Multivariable Analysis ◽  
State Level ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Gun Control ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Control Policies ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Firearm Suicide ◽  
Firearm Control

Abstract This study examined the association between state-specific firearm control policies and firearm suicide rates among men after adjusting for state-level demographics. This cross-sectional study used state-level mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System and the Brady Campaign State Scorecard in 2017. An age-stratified (15–24 years, 25–44 years, 45–64 years, and ≥ 65 years) multivariable analysis was conducted to identify gun control policies that are associated with firearm suicide rates among men in each age group. Results indicate that the associations of specific firearm control policies and firearm suicide rates differ across the age span. In particular, more policies (for example, dealer regulations and waiting periods) are negatively associated with firearm suicide rate among men 15 to 24 years of age. The findings underscore the importance of designing gender- and age-specific policy advocacy programs directed at lowering the rate of firearm suicide. This study also suggests that California, known for its innovative gun safety legislation efforts, could serve as a model for other states starting preventive programs to reduce the firearm suicide rate. Implications of the findings for social work practice are discussed.

Late-Life Suicide

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Hasegawa ◽  
Sanford I. Finkel ◽  
Manfred Bergener ◽  
Gene D. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Older People ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Major Public Health Concern ◽  
Suicide Rates

Suicide rates for older people are increasing worldwide, thereby creating a major public health concern. There has been an absence of public policy and research interest in this area, although the needs are pressing and promise to be even more so.

scholarly journals COVID-19 and suicide: when crises collide

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Clyde G Corpuz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Suicide Prevention ◽  
Suicide Attempts ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Sectoral Approach ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Abstract Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide. Even before the emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 COVID-19 pandemic, suicide continued to be a major public health concern. Globally, someone dies by suicide every 40 s, and for each death, there are 20 more persons attempting suicide. A recently published article rightly stated the need for a ‘population-based approach’ to suicide prevention to mitigate suicide attempts. This paper further adds that there must be a stronger multi-agency or multi-sectoral approach to suicide prevention, intervention and postvention. This paper concludes with few suggestions on how to address the COVID-19-related suicide cases as the world continues to fight against the double pandemic.

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