Suicide in southwestern Greece 1979-1984

Study of suicide in a province of southwestern Greece (population 295,000) from 1979 through 1984 demonstrated: mean suicide rate 0.48/10,000 population/year; significant increase of the suicide rate in men after the age of 65, but not in women; significantly higher suicide rate in men from rural than from urban areas; significantly higher suicide rate in men than in women from rural areas, no difference in urban areas; differences in suicide frequency or age at suicide were observed between subjects of different marital status; violent methods of suicide were most frequently used; and psychological disorders were the most frequent causes of suicide. Many of these findings are observed for the first time. Some may be related to the characteristics of the population studied, whereas others may also be present in other populations.