Citation

Chang SS, Sterne JA, Lu TH, Gunnell D. Soc. Psychiatry Psychiatr. Epidemiol. 2010; 45(2): 143-152.

Affiliation

Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00127-009-0049-x

PMID

19363577

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify cause-of-death categories in which suicides might be misclassified in Taiwan. METHODS: We plotted secular trends (1971-2007) in sex- and method-specific rates of deaths classified as suicide, undetermined intent and accident for the Taiwanese population aged 15+ and compared the sex, age and marital status profiles of deaths in these three categories by method of death. RESULTS: The demographic profiles of registered suicides generally resembled those for deaths of undetermined intent and accidents by pesticide poisoning/suffocation but differed from those for accidents from non-pesticide poisoning/drowning/falling/poisoning by non-domestic gas. For the period 1990-2007, suicide rates based on suicides alone (14.8 per 100,000) would increase by 23, 7 and 1%, respectively, when including deaths of undetermined intent, accidental pesticide poisonings and accidental suffocations. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide rates may be underestimated by more than 30% in Taiwan because some suicides are 'hidden' amongst deaths certified as due to other causes.

Language: en