Suicide and self-poisoning in Great Britain and Ireland

Reported national rates of suicide remain fairly stable from year to year and considerable differences persist between countries. Reported rates of suicide also differ from actual rates according to the social influences and the legal procedure both in attributing suicide and also in how the death is recorded and coded. This paper compares the rates of suicide and non-fatal self-poisoning in Scotland, England and Wales, and Ireland, and also examines suicide rates in people born in Ireland but now resident in England and Wales. The rise in overdose admissions to hospital which is continuing in relative degrees in all communities of Great Britain and Ireland, except Northern Ireland, does not seem to be correlated with trends in fatal suicide behaviour. Further studies on all aspects of the subject are needed to clarify the social determinants involved and to identify ways in which further increases can be contained.