Family characteristics of suicides in Cameron Highlands: a controlled study

Cameron Highlands has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, especially among Indians. Forty Indian families (19 suicides; 21 controls) were studied to compare family characteristics such as income, overcrowding, birth order of index cases of suicide, family history of suicidal behaviour or mental illness, marital disharmony, presence of alcohol abuse, availability of, and knowledge about, weedicides/insecticides, talk/threat of suicide among family members and experience of significant losses in the past year. Controls were matched for age, sex and educational level with the index cases of suicide. A significant difference was only found for one of the above factors, namely increased experience of significant losses in the past year in the family of index cases of suicide. More than 75% in both groups had alcohol related problems. About equal proportions in each group had a family history of suicidal behaviour and mental illness. There was more marital disharmony in families of suicides but this failed to reach significance. These results and methodological limitations of this study are discussed.