A comparison of seasonal variation between suicide deaths and attempts in Hong Kong SAR

Background: Seasonal variations in suicide deaths and attempted suicides have been reported for many countries. Recent research has suggested that seasonal patterns of suicide deaths have diminished considerably. The seasonality pattern between attempts and completed ones are not the same. This paper is the first one to examine seasonal variation between suicide deaths and attempts simultaneously. Method: Census and Statistics Department and the Hospital Authority provided mortality and morbidity data on suicides for the period 1997-2001 in Hong Kong SAR, respectively. Seasonal patterns of suicide deaths and attempts were examined by a harmonic analysis and a non-parametric chi-square test. Results: A significant seasonal variation was detected in suicide attempts with a markedly bi-seasonal pattern was found amongst females with a peak in May and October; only a cyclic pattern was observed for males with a peak in summer. The female attempters who used non-violent suicide methods contributed to the second peak in October. On the other hand, there was no evidence of significant differences in the seasonal distribution among the suicide deaths for males and females. Only a mild pattern was found amongst females involving in violent suicide deaths, while others can be treated as a random event and no significantly pattern was observed in our study. Overall, a significant difference in seasonal variation existed between suicide deaths and attempts (p-value<0.01). Conclusions: This study reinforces the findings that seasonal variation in suicide appears to be diminishing. Also, suicide attempters and completed suicides in Hong Kong seem to arise from two non-identical but overlapping groups in the community. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.postprin

Suicides in general hospitals in Hong Kong: Letters to the editor

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Suicides in general hospitals in Hong Kong: Letters to the editor

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Seasonal changes in suicide in the United States, 1971 to 2000

The seasonality of suicides in the USA increased from the 1970s to the 1990s. A significant proportion of suicide variation due to the seasonal component has been reported. Noted increments in seasonal rhythms in the latter part of the 1980s and 1990s seem to support those of Warren, et al. but contradict the conclusions of diminishing drawn by Hakko, et al., Rhimer, et al., and Yip, et al. © Perceptual and Motor Skills 2005.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Seasonality of suicides with and without psychiatric illness in Denmark

This paper studied the seasonality of suicides among persons with and without psychiatric illness in Denmark from 1970 to 1999. A non-homogenous Poisson process was used to examine the data. The seasonality of suicides was shown to be associated with gender and their psychiatric histories with a declining trend of suicide incidence noted over the captured period. A mild seasonal component was reported in the period of the late 70s to early 80s (1975-1984) among females who did not have any psychiatric treatment history, while in the 80s the significant seasonality was mainly contributed by male suicides without a psychiatric history. Another mild possible invoked seasonality in the 90s was in males who suffered from psychiatric illness. The rest could be treated as random events. Apparently, the seasonality among suicides with psychiatric illness exists but its effect could vary in different periods of time and among genders in Denmark. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Financial debt and suicide in Hong Kong SAR

The presence of indebtedness is known to be a risk factor that can trigger stressed persons to contemplate suicide. This study compares the profiles of suicides with and without debt problems based on 2002 Coroner's Court death files. The category of men aged 25-39 has seen a 70% increase in suicide rate since 1997, and the number using carbon monoxide poisoning has increased from 1% of the total deaths in 1997 to about 26% of the total deaths in 2002. Suicides associated with debt problems seem to involve fewer mental and physical problems with formal job attachment than do suicides without debt problems. Gambling is a significant contributing factor to unmanageable indebtedness. © 2007 Copyright the Authors.link_to_subscribed_fulltex