[The study of suicides and homicides in Spain. Years 1980-1990]

A descriptive epidemiological was carried out in order to evaluate true scope of the problem of suicides and homicides in Spain. These two items were considered individually. With regard to the cases of suicides and homicides published in Causes of Death Spain, the mortality rates, tendency and potential years of life lost (PYLL) were calculated. We have found that the suicides rates are higher than the homicide and both are higher in men than in women. The provinces having the highest suicide rates are: La Rioja, Ceuta and Melilla, Asturias and Galicia. Those have the lowest Castilla-León. By means of the tendency study, we have noted a greater increase in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia for the period 1980-90. Regarding homicides, the only provinces showing statistically significative values are Jaen, Las Palmas and Guipuzcoa. The provinces with highest rates of PYLL, in men, were Galicia, Asturias and Navarra; were observed in the women of Cantabria and Madrid in the case of suicides, and Castilla-La Mancha, Asturias, Ceuta and Melilla in case of homicides.