Suicide in Dublin: I. The Under-reporting of Suicide and the Consequences for National Statistics

1975 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Desmond McCarthy ◽  
Dermot Walsh
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Assessment ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Official Statistics ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
National Statistics ◽  
Suicide Rates

SummaryThis study of suicide in Dublin during 1964–1968 from coroners' records was undertaken to estimate the discrepancy between coroners' verdicts, the national suicide statistics compiled from them and the clinical assessment of probability of suicide by psychiatrists examining the same records. The large difference in numbers of suicides deriving from the two approaches has considerable implications for national suicide statistics, and these have been briefly considered. From the findings presented we believe that we are justified in concluding that: (a) there are real differences in national suicide rates, at least between Ireland, England and Wales, and Scotland, and (b) the Irish suicide rate is low, though not as low as official statistics suggest, and (c) the discrepancy between official and ‘true’ suicide rates in Ireland is greater than in England and Wales and in Scotland.

Are the Scottish and English Suicide Rates Really Different?

1972 ◽  
Vol 120 (556) ◽  
pp. 267-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Barraclough
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Death Certificate ◽  
Well Being ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
National Differences

The official suicide rate for England and Wales has been higher than Scotland's (1) for at least 70 years. Since national differences in official suicide rates are quite frequently cited as an index of differences in social well-being, it is of some importance to know whether these differences are valid or whether they are merely artefacts caused by varying criteria for deciding what evidence is necessary to write 'suicide’ upon the death certificate.

Suicide in Scotland in Comparison with England and Wales

1972 ◽  
Vol 121 (560) ◽  
pp. 83-87
Author(s):  
Norman Kreitman
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
World Health ◽  
Official Statistics ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
A Value ◽  
Health Organization

Over 70 years ago, Sibbald (1900) commented that the official statistics on suicide showed Scotland to have lower rates than England and Wales. It seems that Scotland has always been regarded as one of the countries with relatively few suicides. A recent World Health Organization publication (1968) commented on the official suicide rates in a sample of 20 different nations; among these Scotland ranked nineteenth in 1952–4. However, this picture appears to have been gradually changing over the last two decades, and the same W.H.O. publication, citing official statistics for the period 1961–3, quotes a value for Scotland which raises it to fifteenth in the list of 20 countries. Moreover, the Scottish rates and those for England and Wales have gradually come closer together over the last 20 years.The aim of this paper is to examine the trends in Scottish statistics for the last two decades and to compare the current suicide rates with those of the rest of the United Kingdom. All the data quoted are based on the publications of the Registrars General for Scotland and for England and Wales.

scholarly journals Effect of 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks in London on suicide in England and Wales

2009 ◽  
Vol 194 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad Salib ◽  
Mario Cortina-Borja
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Control Charts ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Similar Reduction ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Icd 10 ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundA reduction in suicide in England and Wales has been reported after the attacks of 11 September 2001 in the USA. It may be plausible therefore to expect a much greater impact on suicide in the UK in response to the events of 7 July 2005, caused by the first suicide terrorist attack by Islamic extremists on British soil.AimsTo examine the effect of the 7 July 2005 terrorist attacks in London on suicide rates in England and Wales.MethodAnalysis of number of suicide (ICD–10 codes X60–X84) and undetermined injury deaths (ICD–10 codes Y10–Y34) reported in England and Wales in the 12 weeks before and after 7 July 2005. We used Shewhart Control Charts based on Poisson rates to explore adjusted daily and weekly suicide rates and rate differences with respect to 7 July 2005.ResultsA brief but significant reduction in daily suicide rate was observed a few days after the terrorist attack in London on 7 July 2005. Further reduction was also observed on the 21 July 2005, coinciding with the second wave of attacks. No similar reduction in suicide was seen during the same period in the previous 4 years. Poisson regression models with indicator variables for each day in July 2005 revealed a reduction of 40% of the expected daily rate for these 2 days only. We found no evidence of any longer-term effect on suicide.ConclusionsThe study findings are contrary to our expectation and only weakly support Durkheim's theory that periods of national threat lower the suicide rate through the impact on social cohesion. It is possible that previous experience of IRA terrorism in the UK may have limited the effect of the 7 July 2005 attacks on suicide in England and Wales. The shock value of suicide terrorism and its psychological potency appear to diminish over time as the tactic becomes overused.

Homicide and Suicide in Africa and England

1980 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. G. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Suicide Rates

A UK psychiatrist draws on his earlier experience as a police surgeon in Africa to compare homicide and suicide rates among the Xhosa tribe with those of England and Wales. A consideration of depression in primitive communities may, he suggests, provide the explanation for the low suicide rate found. The article speculates whether the vastly different homicide/suicide rate found can be explained in terms of aggression and civilization.

scholarly journals Suicide in children and adolescents in England and Wales 1970–1998

2001 ◽  
Vol 178 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. G. McClure
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Exhaust Gas ◽  
Accidental Death ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Suicide Rates

BackgroundSuicide rates for England and Wales have been decreasing recently, but rates for young adult males remain high.AimsTo review changes in suicide rates for children and adolescents in England and Wales between 1970 and 1998.MethodRates for suicide, ‘accidental’ death by causes similar to suicide and ‘undetermined’ death for 10–14- and 15–19-year-olds are calculated between 1970 and 1998 using suicide data and estimated mid-year populations obtained from the Office for National Statistics.ResultsThere has been a substantial increase in suicide rate between the 1970s and the 1990s for males aged 15–19 years. This remains true even when ‘undetermined’ and ‘accidental’ death rates for causes similar to suicide are examined. The increase was associated with an increase in self-poisoning with vehicle exhaust gas in the 1980s and an increase in hanging which has continued into the 1990s. Although there was a slight decrease in the official suicide rate for females aged 15–19 years, ‘undetermined’ deaths increased. There is no indication of a major change in suicide rate in 10–14-year-olds.ConclusionsThe substantial increase in suicide rate in 15–19-year-old males may indicate increased psychosocial stress, particularly affecting this group.

Inner Urban and National Suicide Rates, a Simple Comparative Study

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas R. Chambers ◽  
John G. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Death Rate ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
Accidental Death ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The Law ◽  
North London

The authors have calculated the suicide rate per million for individual causes of death in the Inner North London Coroner's jurisdiction and also a composite rate for all methods of self-destruction. These have been compared with the rates for England and Wales in the years 1979–1985 inclusive. Also calculated has been a total ‘non-accidental’ death rate comprising all deaths by self-destructive behaviour. For certain causes the two rates are similar but for the remainder there are wide differences. The effect of the law relating to suicide verdicts has been described and its effects discussed.

scholarly journals Suicide rates in people of South Asian origin in England and Wales: 1993–2003

2008 ◽  
Vol 193 (5) ◽  
pp. 406-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwame McKenzie ◽  
Kamaldeep Bhui ◽  
Kiran Nanchahal ◽  
Bob Blizard
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
The South ◽  
Asian Origin ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
South Asian Origin ◽  
Suicide Rates

BackgroundLow rates of suicide in older men and high rates in young women have been reported in the South Asian diaspora worldwide. Calculating such suicide rates in the UK is difficult because ethnicity is not recorded on death certificates.AimsTo calculate the South Asian origin population suicide rates and to assess changes over time using new technology.MethodSuicide rates in England and Wales were calculated using the South Asian Name and Group Recognition Algorithm (SANGRA) computer software.ResultsThe age-standardised suicide rate for men of South Asian origin was lower than other men in England and Wales, and the rate for women of South Asian origin was marginally raised. In aggregated data for 1999–2003 the age-specific suicide rate in young women of South Asian origin was lower than that for women in England and Wales. The suicide rate in those over 65 years was double that of England and Wales.ConclusionsOlder, rather than younger, women of South Asian origin seem to be an at-risk group. Further research should investigate the reasons for these changes and whether these patterns are true for all South Asian origin groups.

Suicide in the United Kingdom and Ireland

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 300-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Lester ◽  
CH Cantor ◽  
AA Leenaars
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
The Other ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Male Suicide ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Epidemiological Trends

SummaryThe purpose of this study was to compare epidemiological trends in suicide for the three regions of the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland) and for Ireland from 1960 to 1990. The data on suicide rates were obtained from the World Health Organization statistical base, supplemented by data from the statistical offices of the four regions. While the suicide rates in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland increased during the period under study, English/Welsh suicide rates first declined and then held steady. In Ireland, both male and female suicide rates increased, whereas in the other regions only male suicide rates rose. According to age, in England and Wales, suicide rates rose for male teenagers and young males, while for the other regions male suicide rates increased in general for all age groups. Social indicators (unemployment, marriage and birth rates) were quite successful in predicting male suicide rates in all four regions and in predicting female suicide rates in England and Wales and in Ireland. The results emphasize the importance of studying several regions in epidemiological studies in order to identify which trends are general and which are unique to one nation. In the present study, the epidemiological trends for suicide in England and Wales were quite different from those in the other three regions. In particular, the steady overall suicide rate in England and Wales and the rising suicide rate for young males alone differ from the trends observed in the other regions and raise importante questions about the causes of the social suicide rate in these four regions.

scholarly journals Changes in suicide in England and Wales, 1960–1997

2000 ◽  
Vol 176 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. M. G. McClure
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Exhaust Gas ◽  
Vehicle Exhaust ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
National Statistics ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Methods Of Suicide

BackgroundMethods of suicide and suicide rates in England and Wales have fluctuated considerably since the 1960s.AimsTo review the changes that have occurred in suicide rates in England and Wales between 1960 and 1997.MethodSuicide rates, derived from total annual suicides and the estimated annual resident population, were obtained from the Office for National Statistics.ResultsSuicide rates decreased in both genders between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s. The rate for males then increased between 1975 and 1990, while the rate for females continued to fall. Between 1990 and 1997, the rate decreased for males and females in all age groups, particularly for those using motor vehicle exhaust gas; the latter finding is associated with increasing use of catalytic converters.ConclusionsFollowing the increase in suicide among males until 1990 there was a decrease for both genders between 1990 and 1997, consistent with the ‘Health of the Nation’ target.

Psychiatric aspects of railway fatalities

1985 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 609-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Symonds
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Hospital ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Young Men ◽  
The South ◽  
Dense Area ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
High Suicide Rate ◽  
National Statistics

SynopsisNational statistics for railway fatalities in England and Wales show a reduction of train crashes and a fluctuating level of deaths, of which an increasing proportion is from suicide. A closer examination of a two-year sample from the South of England revealed a large proportion of probable suicides and a small proportion of pure accidents. The remainder appeared to have medical, mainly psychiatric, contributions to their death, of which alcohol was an important factor in single young men. Rail suicides appear to be younger, the men less often married, the women more often married, and both sexes less often widowed than other suicides. They included more cases of major psychosis and neurosis, but fewer and less severe alcoholics. Characteristic patterns of this method of suicide are described with examples. Hypotheses to explain the choice of method suggest that it is not related to either volume of traffic, or residence in a rail-dense area or in an area with a high suicide rate, or the proximity of a psychiatric hospital.

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