Do statistics lie? Suicide in Kildare – and in Ireland

1990 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dermot Walsh ◽  
Ann Cullen ◽  
Rachel Cullivan ◽  
Brendan O'donnell
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Assessment ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Considerable Excess ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Central Statistics Office ◽  
Central Statistics

SynopsisThis study, reporting a ten-year investigation of suicide in Kildare, found that the suicide rate based on clinical assessment of coroner's records was very close to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) figure for Kildare and for Ireland as a whole for the same period. Dublin data for 1977–1981 confirmed these findings. Since in the 1960s similar clinical assessment concluded that CSO rates underestimated suicide by a factor of two or over, we believe that changes in CSO coding procedures whereby more deaths are now coded to suicide than was the case in the past have resulted in current CSO data reflecting accurately the rate of clinical suicide. There has been more than a three-fold increase in CSO suicide rates in Ireland between 1968 and 1987. Even allowing for improved CSO practices there still remains a considerable excess of suicide deaths which indicates a doubling of ‘real’ suicide in Ireland over these twenty years.

Suicide rates in Irish counties

2000 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F Connolly ◽  
David Lester
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Death Rates ◽  
Social Correlates ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
The Social

AbstractObjectives: This study was designed to explore the social correlates of the country suicide rate in Ireland.Method: Suicide rates for Irish counties were calculated for the period 1978-1984, a seven year period centred around the 1981 Census.Results: The county suicide rates were positively associated with death rates and the percentage of elderly population and negatively with change in population, the birth rate and the percentage of the population under the age of 15.Conclusions: There is good evidence to suggest that the official suicide rate in Ireland has been underestimated in the past. This underestimation may not have been uniform across all of the counties.

scholarly journals Economic growth and suicide rate changes: A case in China from 1982 to 2005

2010 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Zhang ◽  
J. Ma ◽  
C. Jia ◽  
J. Sun ◽  
X. Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Rural Income ◽  
Economic Indexes ◽  
Urban Income ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Official Data

AbstractObjectivesIt is to estimate the trend of suicide rate changes during the past three decades in China and try to identify its social and economic correlates.MethodsOfficial data of suicide rates and economic indexes during 1982–2005 from Shandong Province of China were analyzed. The suicide data were categorized for the rural / urban location and gender, and the economic indexes include GDP, GDP per capita, rural income, and urban income, all adjusted for inflation.ResultsWe found a significant increase of economic development and decrease of suicide rates over the past decades under study. The suicide rate decrease is correlated with the tremendous growth of economy.ConclusionThe unusual decrease of Chinese suicide rates in the past decades is accounted for within the Chinese cultural contexts and maybe by the Strain Theory of Suicide.

Cancer-related suicide in the United States, 1999-2015.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (27_suppl) ◽  
pp. 148-148
Author(s):  
Xuesong Han ◽  
Jingxuan Zhao ◽  
Jiemin Ma ◽  
K Robin Yabroff ◽  
Ahmedin Jemal
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Symptom Control ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Effective Care ◽  
The Us ◽  
Oncology Care

148 Background: Cancer patients have an elevated risk of suicide given the prevalent psychological distress, treatment side effects, and uncontrolled pain. This study aims to examine temporal trends in cancer-related suicide in the US during the past two decades in view of progress in psycho-oncology care and symptom control for cancer patients in the country. Methods: Cancer-related suicide was defined as deaths with suicide as the underlying cause and cancer as a contributing cause in the US Multiple Cause of Death Data. We first calculated annual age-standardized cancer-related suicide rates and overall suicide rates from 1999 to 2015. Then, we fitted the log-transformed age-standardized rates to Joinpoint regression models to calculate the annual percentage change (APC) by demographic factors and overall. Results: Among 599,786 suicides in the US from 1999 to 2015, 5,559 were cancer-related. Seventy-three percent of the cancer-related suicides were committed by firearm and 14% were by poisoning. The age-standardized cancer-related suicide rate per 100,000 persons decreased from 0.17 in 1999 to 0.12 in 2015, with an APC of -2.5% (95% CI: -3.3%, -1.7%). In contrast, the age-standardized overall suicide rate per 10,000 persons increased from 13.22 in 1999 to 16.73 in 2015, with APC of 0.9% (95% CI: 0.4%, 1.3%) from 1999 to 2006 and 2.0% (95% CI: 1.7%, 2.2%) from 2006 to 2015. The decline in cancer-related suicide rate was largest among male (APC = -3.1%, 95% CI: -3.9%, -2.3%), 65-74-year-olds (APC = -3.1%, 95% CI: -4.2%, -2.0%), in the South (APC = -4.0%, 95% CI: -5.8%, -2.3%), and in urban area (APC = -3.0%, 95% CI: -4.2%, -1.7%). Conclusions: Despite the continuous increasing overall suicide rates in the US during the past two decades, cancer-related suicide has been decreasing, suggesting an evolving role of psycho-oncology care and symptom control during this period. Well-designed prospective studies are warranted to identify cancer patients at high-risk of suicide and to develop effective care intervention.

Suicide in Greek Prisons: 1977 to 1996

Crisis ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 152-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calliope D Spinellis ◽  
Olga Themeli
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Prison System ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
General Hospitals ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
G 11 ◽  
Low Rate

Data obtained from the records of the Greek Ministry of Justice revealed that there were 457 deaths in the Greek prison system (which includes prisons, mental hospitals and other general hospitals) over the past 20 years. Of these deaths, 93 were recorded as suicides — an average of 4.65 suicides per year or 112 per 100,000 inmates classified as convicted, on remand or hospitalized. The suicide rates fluctuated widely, from a low rate of 32.3 in 1982 to the incredibly high rate of 390.8 in 1979 (11 total suicides, 10 of which occurred in prison hospitals). The present study, the first of its kind in Greece, was based solely on unpublished prison data, which revealed defects in recording (e. g., 11% of the deaths recorded by the correctional administration remained without specification of cause in the years 1977 through 1996; social and penal demographic data of the inmates who committed suicide were kept unsystematically; detailed information on the circumstances of suicide was not always available, etc.). Despite a noticeable decrease in the suicide rate in the years 1995 and 1996, the limited data suggest that the suicide rate in the Greek prison system has basically remained stable over the past 20 years.

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.

scholarly journals The development of suicides in the Scandinavian and post-Soviet Baltic countries in a postindustrial-country context

1997 ◽  
pp. 35-46
Author(s):  
Faustas Stepukonis
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Third World ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Developmental Trends ◽  
The Third ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Baltic Countries ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Third World

A review of developmental trends in the suicide rate in the Baltic region and the OECD countries from the 1960s until the present is the focus of this article. The developmental trends are grouped into three typical clusters: the first cluster, distinguished by the highest suicide rates, comprises the former Soviet countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Russia; the second, the Scandinavian countries as an OECD subgroup with relatively high suicide rates in regard to the OECD average; and the third the postindustrial OECD countries as a whole, distinguished by a lower suicide level than in the previous clusters, but significantly exceeding the “third” world average. It is argued that the post-Soviet Baltic and Scandinavian model of suicide development can be explained by Durkheim’s classical suicide theory. However, explaining the postindustrial type of suicide tendencies requires acceptance of a long-lasting anomie model for the prediction of suicide rates. The discussion of long-lasting anomie features and their relation to the suicide rate is presented. The conclusion is that there are preconditions and empirical evidence for predicting the process of a declining suicide rate in the groups of the countries investigated.

scholarly journals Suicides in Serbia at the beginning of the 21st century and trends in the past fifty years

Stanovnistvo ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goran Penev ◽  
Biljana Stankovic
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Suicide Rate ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Suicide Mortality ◽  
Total Rate ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Demographic Aging ◽  
Age Patterns ◽  
Communist Countries

In 2006 in Serbia, 1444 persons committed suicide (19.5 per 100.000 population. Compared to the early 50s of the 20th century, the number of suicides has nearly doubled, but there has been a moderate decrease in the last 15 years. Similar, but somewhat more moderate tendencies are noted in the change of the value of the suicide rates. The lowest suicide rates were recorded during the 1950s, around 12 per 100.000, and the highest in the last decade of the 20th century when the rate reached 20 suicides per 100.000 inhabitants. The highest suicide rate is among the elderly, and there is also a noticeable tendency of increase in the share of the elderly in the total number of suicides, which is primarily the consequence of intense demographic aging. With youth, the last thirty years note a decline of both the number of suicides and the value of the suicide rates. The number of young people aged 15-24 who have committed suicide in 2006 is less than half of the number from 1971 (decreased from 150 to 66), and the values of suicide rates are also significantly low (decreased from 11.5 to 6.9 per 100.000). Despite certain changes in the values of age-specific suicide rates achieved in the last 50 years, their age patterns of suicide mortality can be characterized as stable. Men are dominant among persons who have committed suicide, with double the number of women, and the highest recorded value of the suicide rate of women never surpassed the value of the lowest suicide rate in men. In terms of marital status, the total rate of suicides is highest with widowers then divorced persons, married persons, and lowest rates are with celibates. In all four groups, suicide rates are at least 3 times higher for men. There is also a clear connection between the level of education and suicide rates for both sexes, with the suicide rate decreasing with higher educational level. In terms of total suicide rate, Serbia is currently in the top half of the European list of countries, closer to countries with highest suicide rates than fifteen years ago. Results achieved in other countries, especially in some former communist countries, imply that defining and conducting a strategy for suicide prevention could have significant effect on the decrease of suicides in Serbia as well.

Changing Patterns of Suicide in Australia

1989 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riaz Hassan ◽  
Joan Carr
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Sociological Perspective ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Australian Society ◽  
Sociological Factors ◽  
The Past ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Changing Patterns

This paper examines the suicide trends in Australia from a sociological perspective using a selected number of sociological variables. Our aim is not to minimize the importance of psychogenic factors in suicide but to highlight its sociological aspects. The analysis of suicide trends shows that the overall suicide rate in Australia has remained fairly stable over the past one hundred years. This outward stability, however, camouflages some important internal changes in the suicide trends in Australian society. The paper examines some of these trends and provides a profile of some of the possible sociological factors which appear to have influenced the suicide rates of men and women in Australian society between 1880 and 1985.

Inequalities and Impact of Socioeconomic-Cultural Factors in Suicide Rates Across Italy

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 178-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Pompili ◽  
Marco Innamorati ◽  
Monica Vichi ◽  
Maria Masocco ◽  
Nicola Vanacore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicide Rate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Premature Death ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Italian Population ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Age And Sex

Background: Suicide is a major cause of premature death in Italy and occurs at different rates in the various regions. Aims: The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive overview of suicide in the Italian population aged 15 years and older for the years 1980–2006. Methods: Mortality data were extracted from the Italian Mortality Database. Results: Mortality rates for suicide in Italy reached a peak in 1985 and declined thereafter. The different patterns observed by age and sex indicated that the decrease in the suicide rate in Italy was initially the result of declining rates in those aged 45+ while, from 1997 on, the decrease was attributable principally to a reduction in suicide rates among the younger age groups. It was found that socioeconomic factors underlined major differences in the suicide rate across regions. Conclusions: The present study confirmed that suicide is a multifaceted phenomenon that may be determined by an array of factors. Suicide prevention should, therefore, be targeted to identifiable high-risk sociocultural groups in each country.

Problems of Analysis of Design and Research Methods of Interaction with the Urban Environment

2020 ◽  
pp. 99-110
Author(s):  
П. В. Капустин ◽  
А. И. Гаврилов
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Environment ◽  
Urban Studies ◽  
Environmental Movement ◽  
The Past ◽  
Types Of Knowledge ◽  
Historical Dynamics ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The City ◽  
Research And Design

Состояние проблемы. Проблематика городской среды заявила о себе в 1960-е годы как протест против модернистских методов урбанизма и других видов проектирования. Средовое движение не случайно тогда именовали «антипрофессиональным» - оно было направлено против устоявшихся и недейственных методов работы с городом - от исследования до управления. За прошедшие десятилетия в рамках самого средового движения и его идейных наследников наработано немало методов и приемов работы, однако они до сих не подвергались анализу как пребывающая в исторической динамике целостная совокупность инструментария, альтернативного традиционному градостроительству. Результаты. Рассмотрены особенности и проблемы анализа методологического «арсенала» средового движения и урбанистики. Методы работы с городской средой впервые структурированы по типам знания. Показана близость методов исследовательского и проектного подходов в отношении городской среды. Выводы. В ближайшее время можно ожидать появления новых синтетических знаний и частных методологий, связанных как с обострением средовой проблематики, с расширением круга средовых акторов, так и с процессом профессионализации урбанистики. Statement of the problem. The urban environment paradigm emerged in the 1960s as a protest against the modernist methods of urbanism and other types of design. It was no coincidence that the environmental movement was back then called "anti-professional" as it was directed against the established and ineffective methods of working with the city, i. e., from research to management. Over the past decades, within the framework of the environmental movement and its ideological heirs, a lot of methods and have been developed. However, they have not yet been analyzed as an integral set of tools in the historical dynamics which is an alternative to traditional urban planning. Results. The features and problems of the analysis of the methodological “arsenal” of environmental movement and urban studies are considered. The methods of working with the urban environment are first structured according to the types of knowledge. The proximity of research and design approaches in the case when the urban environment is dealt with is shown. Conclusions. In the nearest future, we can expect new synthetic knowledge and particular methodologies related to both the exacerbation of environmental problems to emerge as well as the expansion of the circle of environmental actors and the process of professionalization of urbanstics.

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