Characterization of deaths by suicide between 2013-2017

Abstract

Objective: To describe the frequency, distribution and main characteristics of suicide cases in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Methods: Cross-sectional study that included all deaths by suicide reported from 01/01/2013 to 12/31/2017. The analysis included the description of the cases, the verification of the distribution of the method according to sex and the calculation of annual mortality estimates. Results: 5,901 cases were reported, mostly male (79.3%), aged between 35-59 years (45.9%), white skin color (90.9%), elementary school (66,6%), without a spouse (63.6%) and secondary sector workers (54.4%). There was a predominance of police occurrences as a source of notification (90.8%), home as the place of occurrence (68.9%), hanging, strangulation or suffocation as a basic cause (71%), significant differences were observed between men and women as to the choice of method and increase in annual mortality rates in the analyzed period. Conclusion: There was an increase in deaths by suicide in the studied place and period, indicating that it is an important cause of mortality, especially among adult men.