Citation

Banaschak S, Klein A, Drummer J. Rom. J. Leg. Med. 2003; 11(4): 268-273.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Romanian Legal Medicine Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Some theories to explain suicidal behaviour include social reasons in contrast to more biological explanations. To elucidate possible differences in suicide numbers after the political change in Germany in 1989 (chosen cut off day 30th of November 1989) all files of suicide cases from 1985 up to 1993 were analysed. Alter After the change, the analysis was partly restricted to attorney files and death certificates, because the autopsy rate dropped dramatically. 236 cases before and 147 cases after the political change could be included. Suicide rate, mean age, age distribution, suicide method, profession, season, number of foregoing suicide attempts, and motive were compared. Significance was proven by the X2- test (p=0.05). There were no differences between the groups in gender relation (male: female app. 2/3: 1/3) and mean age. The drop in the suicide method "carbon monoxide poisoning" (from 18.1% to 8.8% of the suicides) was caused by the replacement of city gas by natural gas. At the same time the suicide method "jump from a height" rose significantly from 5.7% to 10.9%. There was a significant rose in suicides committed by unemployed and persons without a profession, but unemployment was a new category after the political change. All other differences reached no significant level. Changes in the motives could not be detected. In total, the average suicide rate dropped after the political change from 44.91/100000 inhabitants (1985 till November 1989) to 35.18/100000 (1990-1993). Beside a possible rise of the number of unreported cases (lowering of the autopsy rate), our results do not support the prognosis that the political change would result in a dramatically rising of the suicide rate; in the contrary, the first post-change suicide rate was the lowest in the study time and besides a continuously rise till 1993 did not again reach the suicide rates of the GDR.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide rates; East Germany; Political change