Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T11:49:28.397Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Sexual differences in the completed suicides in Turkey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Setenay Oner ,
Cinar Yenilmez ,
Unal Ayranci ,
Yasemin Gunay  and
Kazim Ozdamar
Setenay Oner*
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, 26480Eskisehir, Turkey
Cinar Yenilmez
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, 26480Eskisehir, Turkey
Unal Ayranci
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, 26480Eskisehir, Turkey
Yasemin Gunay
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, 26480Eskisehir, Turkey
Kazim Ozdamar
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Eskisehir Osmangazi University Medical Faculty, 26480Eskisehir, Turkey
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address:[email protected] (S. Oner).
Get access

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a difference between men and women in terms of suicide age, suicide method and suicide reason in Turkey. This study recruited 17,327 cases that had committed suicide between 1990 and 2000. Of all the cases who committed suicide during a period of 11 years, 61.1% were men, 38.9% women. The highest suicide score fell into the age group 15–24 (P < 0.001). The most frequently used methods for suicide were self-hanging (48.2%) and use of firearms (19.2%) (P < 0.001). The proportion of those committing suicide taking chemicals (drugs, etc.) was higher in women than in men (P < 0.001). The most frequently seen reasons for suicide were illness and (33.8%) unsatisfactory relationships (33.0%) (P < 0.001, each one). Women committed suicide much more because of unsatisfactory relationships, whereas for men it was due to illness (20.8% and 14.6%, respectively). There were significant differences between men and women in terms of suicide age, suicide method and suicide reason in Turkey. When evaluating suicide cases it is essential that the differences between sexes be taken into consideration.

Keywords

SuicideSexEducationSuicide MethodsSuicide Reasons
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 22 , Issue 4 , May 2007 , pp. 223 - 228
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abe, R.Shiori, T.Nishimura, A.Nushida, H.Ueno, Y.Kojima, M.Economic slump and suicide method: Preliminary study in Kobe. Psychiatr Clin Neurosci 2004;58:213–216.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Altindag, A.Ozkan, M.Oto, R.Suicide in Batman, southeastern Turkey. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2005;35:478–482.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Andreasen, N.C.Black, D.W.Introductory Textbook of Psychiatry. London: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc; 2001.Google Scholar
Berecz, R.Cáceres, M.Szlivka, A.Dorado, P.Bartók, E.Peñas-LLedó, E.et al.Reduced completed suicide rate in Hungary from 1990 to 2001: Relation to suicide methods. J Affect Disord 2005;88:235–238.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bluglass, R.Bowden, P.Principle and practice of forensic psychiatry. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 1990.Google Scholar
Brent, D.A.Perper, J.A.Goldstein, C.E.Kolko, D.J.Allan, M.J.Allman, C.J.et al.Risk factors for adolescent suicide: A comparison of adolescent suicide victims with suicidal inpatients. Arc Gen Psychiatry 1988;45:581–588.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheng, A.T.A.Chen, T.H.H.Chen, C.C.Psychosocial and psychiatric risk factors for suicide. Br J Psychiatry 2000;177:360–365.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conner, K.R.Beautrais, A.L.Conwell, Y.Risk factors for suicide and medically serious suicide attempts among alcoholics: analyses of Canterbury Suicide Project data. J Stud Alcohol 2003;64:551–554.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crombie, I.K.Can changes in the unemployment rates explain the recent changes in suicide rates in developed countries? Int J Epidemiol 1990;19:412–416.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Daradkeh, T.K.Suicide in Jordan 1980–1985. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1989;79:241–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Leo, D.Ormskerk, S.C.R.Suicide in the elderly: General characteristics. Crisis 1991;12:3–17.Google ScholarPubMed
Deniz, I.Ersoz, A.G.Ildes, N.Turkarslan, N.A study on suicides and suicides attempts in the official records of the province of Batman during the period 1995–2000. Aile ve Toplum Dergisi 2001;1:1–29.Google Scholar
Denning, D.G.Conwell, Y.King, D.Cox, C.Method choice, intent, and gender in completed suicide. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2000;30:282–288.Google ScholarPubMed
Fidaner, C.Fidaner, H.Turkiye'de yasli intiharlari epidemiyolojisi. Turk Psikiyatri Dergisi 1994;5:69–72.Google Scholar
Foster, T.Gillespie, K.McClelland, R.Patterson, C.Mental disorders and suicide in Northern Ireland. Br J Psychiatry 1997;170:447–452.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fushimi, M.Sugawara, J.Shimizu, T.Suicide patterns and characteristics in Akita, Japan. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2005;59:296–302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gross, V.A.Bopp, M.Eich, D.Gostynski, M.Rössler, W.Gutzwiller, M.A.Historical change of suicide seasonality in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. Suicide Life Threat Behav 2005;35:217–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guaiana, G.D'Avanzo, B.Barbui, C.Update of suicide trends in Italy from 1986 to 1996. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2002;37:267–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, K.Why has suicide increased in young males?. Crisis 1998;19:119–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hawton, K.Gender differences in suicidal behaviour. Br J Psychiatry 2000;177:484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heise, L.L.Raikes, A.Watts, C.H.Zwi, A.B.Violence against women: a neglected health issue in less developed countries. Soc Sci Med 1994;39:1165–1171.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Janghorbani, M.Sharifirad, G.Completed and attempted suicide in Ilam, Iran (1995–2002): Incidence and associated factors. Arc Iranian Med 2005;8:119–126.Google Scholar
Ji, J.Kleinman, A.Becker, A.E.Suicide in contemporary China: a review of China's distinctive suicide demographics in their sociocultural contex. Harv Rev Psychiatry 2001;9:1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, H.I.Sadock, B.J.Synopsis of psychiatry. Egypt: Williams and Wilkins Mass Publishing; 1998.Google Scholar
Kposowa, A.J.McElvain, J.P.Gender, place, and method of suicide. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2006;41:435–443.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lester, D.Suicide, homicide and the quality of life in various countries. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1990;81:332–334.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lotrakul, M.Suicide in Thailand during the period 1998–2003. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2006;60:90–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Maes, M.Cosyns, P.Meltzer, H.Y.De Meyer, F.Peeters, D.Seasonality in violent suicide but not in nonviolent suicide or homicide. Am J Psychiatry 1993;150:1380–1385.Google ScholarPubMed
Marcikic, M.Ugljarevic, M.Dijanic, T.Dumencic, B.Pozgain, I.Epidemiological features of suicides in Osijek County, Croatia, from 1986 to 2000. Coll Antropol 2003;27(Suppl 1):101–110.Google ScholarPubMed
Nwosu, S.O.Odesanmi, W.O.Pattern of suicides in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. West Afr J Med 2001;20:259–262.Google ScholarPubMed
Paul, S.F.Y.Ka, Y.L.Jianping, H.Song, X.M.Suicide rates in China during a decade of rapid social changes. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2005;40:792–798.Google Scholar
Pesonen, T.M.Tacke, U.Karkola, K.I.Hintikka, Lehtonen, J.Gender-related changes in suicide rates and methods in Eastern Finland from 1988 to 1997. Nord J Psychiatry 2004;58:327–332.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Platt, S.Hawton, K.Suicidal behaviour and the labour market. In: Hawton, K.Van Heeringen, K., editors. The international handbook of suicide and attempted suicide. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons; 2000. p. 303–378.Google Scholar
Platt, S.Kreitman, N.Parasuicide and unemployment among men in Edinburg 1968–82. Psychol Med 1985;15:113–123.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pritchard, C.Suicide in the People's Republic of China categorized by age and gender: evidence of the influence of culture on suicide. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1996;93:362–367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Qin, P.Agerbo, E.Mortensen, P.B.Suicide risk in relation to socioeconomic, demographic, psychiatric, and familial factors: a national register-based study of all suicides in Denmark, 1981–1997. Am J Psychiatry 2003;160:765–772.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Qin, P.Agerbo, E.Westergrd-Nielsen, N.Eriksson, T.Mortensen, P.B.Gender differences in risk factors for suicide in Denmark. Br J Psychiatry 2000;177:546–550.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quan, H.Arboleda-Florez, J.Fick, G.H.Stuart, H.L.Love, E.J.Association between physical illness and suicide among the elderly. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2002;37:190–197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sayil, I.Ozguven, H.D.Suicide and suicide attempts in Ankara in 1998: results of the WHO/EURO Multicentre Study of Suicidal Behaviour. Crisis 2002;23:11–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmidtke, A.Weinacker, B.Apter, A.Batt, A.Berman, A.Bille-Brahe, U.et al. Suicide rates in the world (Update), 1998. Available atwww.uni-wuerzburg.de/IASR/suicide-rates.htm; Oct 2004. Accessed on 14.Google Scholar
Shenassa, E.D.Catlin, S.N.Buka, S.L.Lethality of firearms relative to other suicide methods: a population based study. J Epidemiol Community Health 2003;57:120–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stark, C.Hopkins, P.Gibbs, D.Rapson, T.Belbin, A.Hay, A.Trends in suicide Scotland 1981–1999: age, method and geography. BMC Public Health 2004;4:49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Statistical Yearbook of Turkey 2000 Ankara: State Institute of Statistics, Printing Division; August 2002.Google Scholar
Stenager, E.N.Madsen, C.Stenager, E.Boldsen, J.Suicide in patients with stroke: epidemiological study. BMJ 1998;18(316):1206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sudhir Kumar, C.T.Mohan, R.Ranjith, G.Chandrasekaran, R.Gender differences in medically serious suicide attempts: A study from South India. Psychiatry Res. 2006;144:79–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Suicide prevention in Europe. The WHO European monitoring survey on national suicide prevention programmes and strategies. Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/document/e77922.pdf. Accessed on 28 Aug 2006.Google Scholar
Suicide Statistics 1998 Ankara: State Institute of Statistics, Printing Division; September 2000.Google Scholar
Suicide Statistics 2000 Ankara: State Institute of Statistics, Printing Division; September 2002.Google Scholar
Tamosiunas, A.Reklaitiene, R.Virviciute, D.Sopagiene, D.Trends in suicide in a Lithuanian urban population over the period 1984–2003. BMC Public Health 2006;6:184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
The Largest Catholic Communities. Available at: http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html. Accessed on 21 May 2006.Google Scholar
Voros, V.Osvath, P.Fekete, S.Gender differences in suicidal behavior. Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2004;6:65–71.Google ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (WHO). Suicide Statistics. Available at, 1999–2000. Accessed on 22 Oct 2003.Google Scholar
Yamamura, T.Kinoshita, H.Nishiguchi, M.Hishida, S.A perspective in epidemiology of suicide in Japan. Vojnosanit Pregl 2006;63:575–583.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yenilmez, C.Gunay, B.Y.Ayranci, U.Seber, G.Kaptanoglu, C.Demographic and psychosocial risk factors relevant in completed suicides in the region of Eskisehir, Turkey. The Internet Journal of Forensic Science 2005;1:1.Google Scholar
Zacharakis, C.A.Hadjivassilis, V.Madianos, M.G.Papadimitriou, G.N.Stefanis, C.N.Suicide in Cyprus 1988–1999. Eur Psychiatry 2005;20:110–114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhang, J.Conwell, Y.Zhou, L.Jiang, C.Culture, risk factors and suicide in rural China: a psychological autopsy case control study. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2004;110:430–437.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, S.Qu, G.Peng, Z.Peng, T.The sex ratio of suicide rates in China. Crisis 1994;15:44–48.Google ScholarPubMed
Zonda, T.Suicide in Nograd County, Hungary, 1970–1994. Crisis 1999;20:64–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.