[The descriptive epidemiology of suicide in Tuscany, 1988-2002].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the epidemiology of Suicide in Tuscany according to the triad of time, place and person.


METHODS
The 4,764 cases of suicide, defined according to categories E950-E959 of ICD-9 in Tuscany over the period 1988-2002, were obtained from the Tuscan Mortality Register. Mortality indicators were calculated and analyzed. The spatial analysis was carried out by deriving Empirical Bayes Estimates for the 287 municipalities.


RESULTS
The crude mortality rate in the 2000-2002 is 7.8 per 100000 population (male: 12.4; female: 3.5). The age-standardized rate in the 2000-2002 is 5.8 per 100,000 population (male: 9.6; female: 2.6). The highest risk for suicide, especially in the case of males, are concentrated in the southern hinterland Tuscany, in a cluster of rural municipalities that represent the old mining district of Tuscany. The SMRs according to residential municipality (population per square kilometre), confirm a greater risk of suicide for males residing in rural communities.


CONCLUSIONS
The cluster of excessive mortality from suicide in Southern Tuscany could be the consequence of social determinants, related to the urban and social crisis following agriculture decline and mine closure.
Martiello
Michele Arcangelo
MA
Dipartimento F.M.S. e S.P., Sezione di Sanità Pubblica, Università di Siena, Siena.
Cipriani
Francesco
F
Voller
Fabio
F
Buiatti
Eva
E
Giacchi
Mariano
M
D001499:Bayes Theorem; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*