Citation

Coggan C. New Zealand Public Health Report 1997; 4(7): 49-56.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This paper outlines the occurrence of suicide and attempted suicide in New Zealand, and identifies those groups at highest risk. Routinely collected mortality and hospital discharge data indicate that, over the period 1974 to 1993, there was an annual average of 382 suicide deaths and 2 674 hospitalisations for attempted suicide. For both deaths and hospitalisations, the 15-24 year age group was at highest risk. Males were the most common victims of suicides, while attempted suicides were somewhat more likely to occur among females. The most conspicuous change in the occurrence of suicide over the 1974 to 1993 period was a four-fold increase in the rate of suicide among males 15-24 years. The identification of youth as a high risk group may assist in the appropriate targeting of resources for intervention efforts in the area of suicide and attempted suicide. Further work is needed to identify potentially modifiable risk factors, and to design, implement, and evaluate effective interventions.

Language: en