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Changing patterns of suicide in Australia, 1910–1977
Author(s) -
Burvill P. W.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1980.tb00613.x
Subject(s) - suicide prevention , poison control , injury prevention , human factors and ergonomics , occupational safety and health , medical emergency , psychology , psychiatry , medicine , gerontology , pathology
Presented for the period 1910‐1977 were the sex specific annual age standardised suicide rates for Australia, together with age‐sex specific rates and methods of suicide. During this time there were marked changes in male rates, the changes mainly occurring during four periods – 1910‐19, 1925‐40, 1940‐49 and 1955‐77. The changes in female rates were less marked and confined chiefly to 1955‐77. There has been a drop in suicide rates since the mid 1960's in all age groups, except in males aged 15–29 years whose rate has steadily risen. Methods of suicide have changed considerably during the period 1910–77. There was no evidence found to sustain the hypothesis that elimination of a common suicide method resulted in a sustained lower overall suicide rate. Current theories of suicide causation were often found to be inadequate to explain many of the findings. It is suggested that we need to develop radically different approaches to the aetiology of suicide.