Suicide at ages 75 years and older, Australia
Suicide at ages 75 years and older, Australia
Report preparation date: 27 October 1997
Author: James Harrison
Australian deaths data and population data were obtained from the Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The deaths data originate with coroners and
Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
"Deaths" are those registered in the nominated year and jurisdiction.
Cause of death is classified by the ABS according to the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD). The 9th revision (ICD9) has been used for
death registrations beginning in 1979 [1].
The ICD9 "External Cause" code equivalents of groups presented in this report
are:
| "Suicide" and "self-injury" |
E950-E959 |
| Suicide by poisoning (solid or liquid substance) |
E950 |
| Suicide by firearm |
E955.0 to E955.4 |
| Suicide by hanging |
E953.0
|
| Suicide by motor vehicle exhaust |
E952.0 |
| Suicide by cutting or piercing |
E956 |
| Other/unspecified suicide |
all other codes in range E950 to E959 |
ICD9 provides a category for deaths which were investigated (eg by a coroner)
without determination of whether they were due to accident, suicide or
homicide. This "undetermined intent" category (E980 to E989) is sometimes
reported with suicide because cases in it may be suicides [2].
Suicide and self-injury are complex concepts, subject to differences of
interpretation [3]. Key questions are whether
all (or nearly all) suicide cases were coded to the categories reported, and
whether other types of cases might have been coded to them. There is little
direct evidence about the quality of Australian suicide data. Assessments of
official statistics on suicide deaths in several comparable countries conclude
that there was a moderate degree of under-counting, and few cases falsely
counted as suicide (eg [4], [5], [6]).
This is a brief analysis written in response to a specific question from one of
the Centre's clients. It uses available data and should not be viewed as a
detailed piece of research. The Centre releases this information in the
interests of ensuring that work done for one client can inform others. The
report must not be quoted or cited without written permission from the Centre.
- No single method predominates for 'persons' suicide in this age group.
- "Total suicide" is the sum of the 6 other categories.
- The same as Figure 1 except that the 'Total suicide' curve has been omitted
to show the method-specific values more clearly.
- Numbers of suicide deaths in this age group in Australia are quite
small. Variation due to the small numbers accounts for much of the year to year
fluctuation seen on the previous two charts. This should be taken into account
if comparisons are made.
- Male cases (n=96) are much more numerous than female (n=32) overall, though
not in certain "method" categories. The male:female ratio is similar to that at
all ages.
- Rates for females aged 75y+ are similar to those at all ages.
- Rates for males aged 75y+ are higher than those at all ages. The gap has
narrowed in the past decade.
- This Figure shows total suicide and 'undetermined intent' rates for persons
aged 75y+. Few cases are coded as being of 'undetermined intent' in Australia.
This category is used more often in some other countries, and this should be
taken into consideration if making international comparisons of 'suicide
rates'. Relative use of the "undetermined" category may vary by
"method".
All charts and tables are based on Australian mortality unit records and
population estimates provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Further
information about the data sources is provided at the top of this page .
Information about the definition and classification of cases and issues of data
quality is available here.
There is a large and diverse literature on suicide. The following book provides
a good overview from an Australian perspective:
Hassan, R. Suicide explained: the Australian experience. Melbourne: Melbourne
University Press, 1995.
[1] World Health Organization. International
classification of diseases (1975 revision). Geneva: WHO, 1977.
[2] . Bordeaux S, Harrison J. Injury Mortality
Australia, 1994. Australian Injury Prevention Bulletin, Issue 13
[3] O'Carroll PW, Berman AL, Maris RW, et al.
Beyond the Tower of Babel: a nomenclature for suicidology. Suicide Life Threat
Behav 1996; 26:237-252
[4] Kleck G. Miscounting suicides. Suicide Life
Threat Behav 1988; 18: 219-236.
[5] . O'Carroll PW. A consideration of the
validity and reliability of suicide mortality data. Suicide Life Threat Behav.
1989; 19: 1-16
[6] Speechley M, Stavraky KM. The adequacy of
suicide statistics for use in epidemiology and public health. Can J Public
Health 1991; 82: 38-42.
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