Youth suicide in an international context

Mortality statistics are examined for 10- to 19-year-old males and females to examine whether the widely-claimed high rates and upward trends in suicide among young men in England and Wales during recent years are applicable to this group. Various definitions of suicide are considered. A consistent increase in rates between 1980 and 1994 was found in England and Wales for 15- to 19-year-old males (and for younger males although not for females) but this was less dramatic than has been reported for a slightly wider age band. Comparisons between these profiles of young deaths and those for Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland and Norway indicated that, regardless of definition, rates of suicide for those under 20 years are lower in England and Wales than any of the other countries studied. Trends, nonetheless, showed varying patterns. While the upward trend among 15- to 19-year-old males in England and Wales was of similar order to that found in Finland or Norway, it represented a far less marked rise than in Ireland and was in contrast to the declining rates found in Germany and Hungary. Methods used in deaths recorded as suicide differed by country but there were few consistent trends.