Citation

Souza ML, Orellana JD. Rev. Bras. Psiquiatr. 2012; 34(4): 489-490.

Affiliation

Leônidas and Maria Deane Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Associacao Brasileira de Psiquiatria)

DOI

10.1016/j.rbp.2012.04.008

PMID

23429821

Abstract

The suicide mortality rate (SMR) among the general population in Brazil is low (< 5.0 per 100,000 inhabitants).1 However, recent evidence published in this journal shows that in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the municipality with the largest proportion of self-reported indigenous people, suicide is an important public health issue.2 Although suicide is acknowledged as an important public health problem in a few areas in Brazil, there are no national or regional statistics on the occurrence of suicide among the indigenous people. Evidence from different parts of the world indicates that "native" populations are particularly vulnerable to a number of health threatening disorders, including suicide.3 This study compares suicide mortality rates between the indigenous and non-indigenous people, excluding children under five years old, in the five macro-regions of the country during the 2006-2010 period based on data from the Information Department of the Brazilian Unified Health System (DATASUS).

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