[Changes in suicide mortality in Germany].
OBJECTIVE
About one third of the total number of life lost in the period between 1 and 65 years in consequence of "external causes" (E-classification by WHO) in East and in West Germany account alone for "suicide" as a cause of death. Suicide alone produces, e.g. among the male population, a loss in years of life which corresponds to 53% (in East Germany) and to 40% (in West Germany), respectively, of the total number of years of life lost due to cancer of all organic localizations.


METHODS
The analysis is based on the official mortality data from 1961 to 1989. The data are analysed by age and sex. SMR, average age of death and PYLL are calculated.


RESULTS
A comparative survey of suicide mortality over the period from 1961 to 1989 has shown that there are differences in suicide frequencies between East and West Germany. If related to the whole period, the lowest suicide rates both in the East and in the West have been observed at the end of that period. The suicide mortality rate in the East, however, remained higher than in the West, by 79.9% (male population) and by 70.2% (female population), respectively. The long-term trend is characterised by a slight increase of the suicide gap between East and West among the male population, whereas the difference has diminished in respect of the female population. Sex-related differences are even more distinct than differences between East and West in suicide mortality. Thus, in 1989, the standardized suicide rates among the male population amounted to 2.7 times (West Germany) and 2.8 times (East Germany) of that of the female population, these differences having increased continually during the period from 1961 to 1989.


CONCLUSIONS
The results cast justifiable doubts on whether the actual distribution of research capacities and of financial and personnel resources are adequate to cope with the problems raised by the phenomenon of "suicide".
Wiesner
G
G
Institut für Sozialmedizin und Epidemiologie des BGA, Berlin.
Casper
W
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005859:Germany, East / Q000453:epidemiology; D005860:Germany, West / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*
Zur Entwicklung der Suizidmortalität in Deutschland.