[Suicide in the Geneva canton (1971-1990). An analysis of the forensic medicine autopsy sample]

During the twenty-year period from 1971 to 1990, 1654 cases of suicide were examined at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Geneva University. The suicide rate for the entire population averaged 22,75 per 100,000 population per annum. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The average age was 47. The highest suicide rate lay between ages 27 and 32 for men and between ages 45 and 50 for women. The most common means of suicide chosen by men were the use of firearms (28%) and hanging (21%) whilst women preferentially chose falling from a height (26%), poisoning (24%) or drowning (22%). Carbon monoxide poisoning, the major means of suicide before 1971 (20%), has greatly decreased whereas firearms, formerly representing only 13% of all suicides before 1971, have become the principal means (19%). May, January and September have, respectively, the highest rate of suicide.