Rising trend among young adults: analysis of suicide-related deaths in Türkiye 2007-2022

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young adults and is influenced by economic crises and the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine trends in suicide mortality rates in Türkiye between 2007 and 2022 using Joinpoint regression analysis.

This retrospective ecological time-trend study utilized publicly available data from the Turkish Statistical Institute. Suicide mortality rates per 100,000 population were calculated by age and gender. Joinpoint regression analysis was applied to identify significant changes in trends over time. Annual Percent Changes (APCs) and Average Annual Percent Changes (AAPCs) were computed.

The overall suicide rate increased annually by 5.86% (95% CI: 1.24-12.50) between 2019 and 2022. For females, the APC was 8.11% (95% CI: 0.96-18.43) in the same period. For females, a decreasing trend was observed from 2007 to 2019 (APC: -2.27%), followed by a significant increase between 2019 and 2022 (APC: +8.11%). In contrast, the suicide rate among males exhibited a consistent upward trend from 2007 to 2022 (APC: +2.28%).

It has been shown that suicide-related deaths in young adults in Türkiye are increasing. The fact that the increase especially in women is significantly high requires health authorities to take steps in this field.