Worldwide trends in suicide mortality from 1990 to 2015 with a focus on the global recession time frame

Abstract

Objectives: To report worldwide trends in suicide mortality during a period that covers 7 years after the 2008 global crisis.

Methods: We performed a time trend analysis with joinpoint regression.

Results: Over the 2000s, suicide mortality decreased with the largest declines observed in some Eastern European countries. The downward trends were followed by an increase in concomitance with the 2008 global crisis in some countries, including Greece (annual percentage change = + 6 in men and + 11.8 in women), the Netherlands (+ 4.2 in men and + 4.0 in women), and the UK (+ 1.6 in men), while the pre-crisis downward trends stopped in Germany, Italy, and Spain. The joinpoint analysis also revealed long-term rises in Brazil (+ 0.8 since 1990 in men and + 1.8 since 1999 in women), Mexico (+ 1.3 since 1995 in men and + 3.6 since 1990 in women), the USA (+ 1.7 since 2005 in men and + 4.2 since 2010 in women), and Australia (+ 1.8 in men and + 3.7 in women, since 2006 in both sexes).

Conclusions: Despite downward trends in several areas of the world, in some countries suicide rates increased since the 2008 global crisis.

Keywords: Financial crisis; Mortality; Suicide; Trends.