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Cited by 557Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseInjury Epidemiology and Prevention

Methods of suicide: international suicide patters derived from the WHO mortality database

Open access
Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta·2008·Bulletin of the World Health Organization
DOI 10.2471/blt.07.043489PMC PMC2649482
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Accurate information about preferred suicide methods is important for devising strategies and programmes for suicide prevention. Our knowledge of the methods used and their variation across countries and world regions is still limited. The aim of this study was to provide the first comprehensive overview of international patterns of suicide methods. METHODS: Data encoded according to the International Classification of Diseases (10th revision) were derived from the WHO mortality database. The classification was used to differentiate suicide methods. Correspondence analysis was used to identify typical patterns of suicide methods in different countries by providing a summary of cross-tabulated data. FINDINGS: Poisoning by pesticide was common in many Asian countries and in Latin America; poisoning by drugs was common in both Nordic countries and the United Kingdom. Hanging was the preferred method of suicide in eastern Europe, as was firearm suicide in the United States and jumping from a high place in cities and urban societies such as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Correspondence analysis demonstrated a polarization between pesticide suicide and firearm suicide at the expense of traditional methods, such as hanging and jumping from a high place, which lay in between. CONCLUSION: This analysis showed that pesticide suicide and firearm suicide replaced traditional methods in many countries. The observed suicide pattern depended upon the availability of the methods used, in particular the availability of technical means. The present evidence indicates that restricting access to the means of suicide is more urgent and more technically feasible than ever.

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  • Pharmaceutical agents are the most frequent victims of intentional suicide in eastern European countries.

    “Pharmaceutical agents are the most frequent victims of intentional suicide in this area.”

    From Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries (2022) · cites this paper as [54]

    The Results section says hanging was the predominant suicide method in eastern Europe, with the highest proportions around 90% for men and 80% for women. It identifies drug poisoning as common in Canada, the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom, not as the most frequent method in eastern Europe. (LLM, conf=0.94)

    Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.

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  • In most eastern European countries, poisoning is the third-leading cause of suicide death, after suicide by hanging and suicide by using firearms.

    “In most eastern European countries, according to the WHO mortality database on methods of suicide [54], poisoning is the third-leading cause of suicide death, after suicide by hanging and suicide by using firearms.”

    From Toxicological Findings of Self-Poisoning Suicidal Deaths: A Systematic Review by Countries (2022) · cites this paper as [54]

    The Results section identifies hanging as the predominant suicide method in eastern European countries. It does not establish the claimed ranking of firearms second and poisoning third; instead, it describes hanging in eastern and southern Europe as partly supplemented by pesticide poisoning. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • International variations in suicide methods suggest that the observed suicide pattern in many countries depends on the availability of the methods used.

    “International variations in suicide methods suggest that the observed suicide pattern in many countries depends on the availability of the methods used (Ajdacic-Gross 2008; Yip 2012).”

    From Means restriction for the prevention of suicide by jumping (2020) · cites this paper as Ajdacic-Gross 2008

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Research works printed but not linked: 31

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Authors
Ajdacic-Gross, V.
Venue
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Publisher
WHO Press
Published
2008-09-01
Volume
86
Issue
9
Pages
726-732
ISSN
0042-9686 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2471/blt.07.043489
PMC
PMC2649482
OpenAlex
W2160447214
Cited by
557
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 58 · 2020: 47 · 2019: 31 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 41 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 36 · 2012: 23
FWCI
16.36
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Bulletin of the World Health Organization (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Injury Epidemiology and Prevention
Keywords
suicide methods, pesticide poisoning, firearm suicide, hanging, jumping from height, drug poisoning, suicide prevention, means restriction, cross-national comparison, WHO Mortality Database
MeSH terms
Cause of Death, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Female, Humans, Male, Suicide, Global Health, World Health Organization, Databases, Factual

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