Epidemiology of suicide in Spain, 1981-2008: a spatiotemporal analysis

To analyse the epidemiology of suicide, and compare its occurrence between the sexes and in various regions in Spain.

Age-specific analysis and spatiotemporal analysis to analyse death by suicide between 1981 and 2008 in Spain.

Ecological study.

Death by suicide has decreased since the 1990s in Spain, although peaks in suicides correspond with times of economic crisis. Death by suicide was more common among men than among women, although the suicide mortality rate increased over the study period among women aged 35-49 years. Geographical analysis showed that rural populations and areas with historically higher levels of unemployment have higher suicide rates. In contrast, less-populated regions have lower suicide rates.

Suicides in Spain exhibit a clear geographic pattern and occur at different rates between the genders. The results suggest an increasing number of suicides among women aged 35-49 years over the study period.