title: Suicides in Alaska: firearms and alcohol.
abstract: A manual review of death certificates and autopsy records identified 195 suicides in Alaska during 1983-84. Native males, 20-24 years old, had the highest rate of suicide (257 per 100,000 person-years). Gunshot wounds caused 76 per cent of all suicide deaths; 79 per cent of Native and 48 per cent of White suicides had detectable levels of blood alcohol. Suicide by firearms was weakly associated with blood alcohol levels above 100 mg/dl (odds ratio 1.3, 95 per cent confidence interval 1.11-1.47).
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Social Services, State of Alaska, Anchorage 99524-0249.
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Hlady
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Middaugh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000413:Alaska; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013405:Suicide / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology