1. National trends in suicide

• For males:
• For females:

Figures 1 and 2 show, for males and females respectively, trends for age-standardised all-ages suicide rates in comparison with trends for other `external causes' of death. (`External causes' are factors that result in injury and poisoning.)

All-ages rates of suicide fluctuated during the twentieth Century, but did not show a strong long-term trend. In contrast, mortality from other causes declined, with the result that suicide became relatively more prominent as a cause of death in the latter part of the Century. Mortality due to road crashes has declined greatly since about 1970, and mortality due to all external causes other than suicide and road crashes has declined for longer than that. Mortality from other causes (ie diseases) has also declined considerably, but is not shown here.

The increasing relative prominence of suicide, as other causes of death have declined, is one factor prompting the recent increase in public health attention directed to suicide and its prevention.

Figure 1 : External causes of deaths for males of all ages in Australia, 1924-1998.

Categories used in this Figure are Motor vehicle: E810-E825; Suicide: E950-E959; and Other injury: remainder of E800-E999. The apparent dip in the rates over the WWII period is at least partly an artefact due to non-adjustment of the population denominator for the significant number of males outside the country while on service. Corrected population estimates are not available.

Suicide has been a commoner cause of male death than road crashes since about 1990 (Figure 1). In 1997 the male suicide rate also exceeded the rate of mortality due to all external causes other than road crashes. Female suicide rates are much lower than are those for males. Figure 2 has been given the same vertical scale as Figure 1 to show the difference.

Figure 2 : External causes of deaths for females of all ages in Australia 1924-1998.

Categories used in this Figure are Motor vehicle: E810-E825; Suicide: E950-E959; and Other injury: remainder of E800-E999.

In 1997 and 1998 the female rate for suicides and deaths due to motor vehicle crashes were equal, whereas in previous years, the suicide rate was lower than the rate for motor vehicle crashes.

Figure 3 shows that during the 1960s, suicide rates for both genders increased notably. This corresponded with an increase in suicide by poisoning, at a time when barbiturates, as well as other toxic sedatives and tranquillisers were available and widely used.¹

Figure 3 : Suicide rates for males, females, and persons, Australia 1921-1998.

The apparent dip in the rates over the WWII period is at least partly an artefact due to non-adjustment of the population denominator for the significant number of males outside the country while on service. Corrected population estimates are not available.

Both male and female all-ages suicide rates fell after the peak of the 1960s, but a divergence in rates emerged during the 1980s with male rates rising while female rates did not. The ratio of male to female suicide rates rose from 2:1 in the 1950s to about 4:1 in the 1990s. The overall rate of suicide for persons of all ages rose 14% from 1996 to 1997, based on the numbers of suicides registered in each year. Data on the numbers of suicide occurrences indicate that the true rise was 9% (see Section 5 and Data Issues).

For males:

• The all-ages suicide rate for males has tended to rise in recent years.
• There was a marked increase in suicide rates from 1996 to 1997. The rate in 1998 was marginally below that in 1997.
• The all-ages standardised rates of male suicide registered in 1997 and 1998 were the highest since 1963 and, before that, 1931.

For females:

• The all-ages suicide rate remained fairly stable until the 1960s when it showed a significant increase, followed by a decrease.
• Rates in recent years are similar to those seen before the mid-century peak.