Bulletin 23 - Suicide deaths registered in 1998
![[Previous]](/images/arr_prev.gif)
![[Next]](/images/arr_next.gif)
![[Up]](/images/arr_up.gif)
![[Top]](/images/arr_top.gif)
4. Suicide deaths registered in 1998
This section summarises all suicides registered in Australia in 1998.
Table 1 : Key indicators for 1998 suicide deaths, Australia.
Indicator | Males |
Females | Persons |
Suicide deaths registered |
2,150 | 533 | 2,683 |
% of all injury deaths |
38.3% | 22.9% | 33.8% |
Crude rate/100,000 |
23.1 | 5.7 | 14.3 |
All-ages rate/100,000 (adjusted)* |
23.1 | 5.6 | 14.3 |
| * Adjusted by direct standardisation taking the Australian population in 1991 as the standard. |
In 1998, the male to female ratio for registered suicide deaths was 4:1.
Figure 10 : Age-specific rates of suicide registrations for males and
females by age group, Australia, 1998.
Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals for rates. |
- Rates for males are highest at ages 20 to 39 years and males at ages 80
years and older.
- A peak in the 65 to 69 year age group can be also seen (Figure 10). This
profile was not seen in 1997 and is mainly due to a large increase in suicide
deaths registered in SA for this age group. Occasional variations of this size
may occur by chance.
|
Table 2 shows the numbers of male suicides registered in 1998 by age group and method.
Table 2 : Methods of suicide: case counts by age group for males, Australia, 1998
Age group (in years) |
Hanging |
Motor vehicle
exhaust |
Firearm |
Poisoning |
Cutting/
Piercing |
Other/
unspecified |
TOTAL |
10-14 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
15-19 |
78 |
8 |
10 |
4 |
1 |
15 |
116 |
20-24 |
151 |
31 |
24 |
13 |
1 |
28 |
248 |
25-29 |
164 |
59 |
25 |
29 |
3 |
34 |
314 |
30-34 |
149 |
64 |
13 |
21 |
3 |
27 |
277 |
35-39 |
138 |
67 |
14 |
27 |
5 |
22 |
273 |
40-44 |
75 |
61 |
21 |
16 |
6 |
27 |
206 |
45-49 |
55 |
53 |
13 |
21 |
5 |
20 |
167 |
50-54 |
57 |
38 |
15 |
14 |
5 |
18 |
147 |
55-59 |
37 |
19 |
13 |
8 |
2 |
9 |
88 |
60-65 |
28 |
14 |
12 |
5 |
2 |
14 |
75 |
65-69 |
31 |
12 |
21 |
11 |
2 |
10 |
87 |
70-74 |
15 |
10 |
15 |
1 |
0 |
8 |
49 |
75-79 |
13 |
5 |
8 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
42 |
80-84 |
13 |
6 |
6 |
5 |
0 |
3 |
33 |
85+ |
4 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
22 |
Total |
1012 |
451 |
217 |
178 |
38 |
254 |
2,150 |
Sections shaded in blue indicates most common method for specific age group and sections shaded in grey the second most common method.
Categories: Hanging: E953.0; Motor vehicle exhaust: E952.0, Firearm: E955.0-.4;
Poisoning (solid, liquids): E950; Cutting/Piercing: E956; Other: remainder of
E950-E959. |
- The proportion of suicide deaths by hanging increased between 1997 and
1998: in 1997 hanging formed 35.9% of registered suicide deaths in males, but
in 1998 it comprised 47.1%.
- In 1998, hanging was the leading method of suicide in males aged 10 to 84
years. In males aged 85 years or more, 'other specified' methods were the most
common method. These were mostly due to drowning (six out of the eight cases).
- Of suicides by males, about two-thirds of those aged between 10 and 24
years old hanged themselves, whereas about half of men aged 25 to 39 years
committed suicide by hanging. For males between 40 and 84 years, hanging made
up at least one-third of the suicide cases.
- For males aged between 20 and 65 years, motor vehicle exhaust was the
second most common method used to commit suicide.
- Suicides by firearms declined from 1997 to 1998. In 1997 firearms comprised
14.4% of suicide deaths and in 1998 the proportion was 10.1%.
Table 3 shows equivalent data for female suicides registered in 1998.
- Hanging was the commonest method for young women.
- Poisoning by solid and liquid substances was the commonest method for middle-aged and older women.
Table 3 : Methods of suicide: case counts by age group; Females, Australia, 1998
Age group (in years) |
Hanging |
Motor vehicle exhaust |
Firearm |
Poisoning |
Cutting/
piercing |
Other/
unspecified |
TOTAL |
10-14 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
15-19 |
23 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
35 |
20-24 |
18 |
7 |
2 |
10 |
0 |
10 |
47 |
25-29 |
19 |
6 |
4 |
19 |
0 |
8 |
56 |
30-34 |
24 |
5 |
1 |
15 |
1 |
7 |
53 |
35-39 |
24 |
19 |
2 |
24 |
2 |
6 |
77 |
40-44 |
15 |
9 |
2 |
17 |
1 |
14 |
58 |
45-49 |
8 |
8 |
2 |
8 |
0 |
7 |
33 |
50-54 |
10 |
8 |
0 |
11 |
1 |
9 |
39 |
55-59 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
10 |
1 |
9 |
30 |
60-65 |
8 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
2 |
5 |
23 |
65-69 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
6 |
20 |
70-74 |
5 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
21 |
75-79 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
0 |
4 |
17 |
80-84 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
1 |
3 |
15 |
85+ |
1 |
|
0 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
Total |
172 |
77 |
17 |
158 |
10 |
99 |
532 |
Sections shaded in blue indicates most common method for specific age group and sections shaded in grey the second most common method.
In one case, the age of the female was unknown.
Categories: Hanging: E953.0; Motor vehicle exhaust: E952.0, Firearm: E955.0-.4;
Poisoning (solid, liquids): E950; Cutting/Piercing: E956; Other: remainder of
E950-E959. |
Rates of suicide varied between States and Territories in 1998. Victoria and ACT had
suicide rates significantly lower than the national average, whereas Queensland
had a rate that was significantly higher than the national average rate (Figure
11).
Figure 11 : Suicide rates by State/Territory, Australia, 1998.
Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals for rates. |
|