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Increased use of lethal methods and annual increase of suicide rates in K orean adolescents: comparison with adolescents in the U nited S tates
Author(s) -
Park Subin,
Cho SooChurl,
Kim BungNyun,
Kim JaeWon,
Yoo Hee Jeong,
Hong Jin Pyo
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/jcpp.12148
Subject(s) - suicide prevention , suicide methods , demography , injury prevention , poison control , occupational safety and health , jumping , psychology , human factors and ergonomics , suicide attempt , suicide rates , medicine , environmental health , physiology , pathology , sociology
Background The lethality of the suicide method is a strong risk factor for completed suicide. We examined whether the annual change in the pattern of suicide methods was related to the annual change in suicide rates among adolescents in S outh K orea and the U nited S tates. Methods We analyzed annual data for the 2000–2009 period for S outh K orea and the 2000–2008 period for the U nited S tates to examine time trends in the suicide rates and suicide methods of adolescents aged 10–19 years in two countries. Data on suicide methods were obtained from the World Health Organization ( WHO ) mortality database. Results Suicide rates among adolescents in the U nited S tates have remained relatively steady since 2000, whereas the suicide among K orean adolescents has increased. Between 2000 and 2009, the most common suicide method among K orean adolescents was jumping for boys and girls, whereas it was hanging for girls and firearms for boys in the U nited S tates. Along with the annual increase in suicide rates in S outh K orea, the incidences of jumping among males and hanging (and recently jumping) among females have increased steadily, whereas suicide by self‐poisoning steadily decreased. In the U nited S tates, between 2000 and 2008, the proportion of suicides committed by hanging increased, whereas those committed using firearms steadily decreased, particularly among adolescent females. Conclusions These findings suggest that the increased use of lethal suicide methods is reflected in the increase in suicide rates in K orean adolescents. The most fruitful approach to addressing the rises in jumping suicides among K orean adolescents and hanging suicides among adolescents in the United States may be through population‐based initiatives to reduce the physical availability (e.g., limiting access to or fencing off tall structures) and the social acceptability (e.g., effective and responsible regulations for reporting suicide) of these methods.