title: Suicide among young people in the Americas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine suicide mortality trends among young people (10-24 years of age(1)) in selected countries and territories of the Americas.
  
  
  METHODS
  An ecological study was conducted using a time series of suicide mortality data from 19 countries and one territory in the Region of the Americas from 2001 to 2008, comprising 90.3% of the regional population. The analyses included age-adjusted suicide mortality rates, average annual variation in suicide mortality rates, and relative risks for suicide, by age and sex.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean suicide rate for the selected study period and countries/territory was 5.7/100,000 young people (10-24 years), with suicide rates higher among males (7.7/100,000) than females (2.4/100,000). Countries with the highest total suicide mortality rates among young people (10-24 years) were Guyana, Suriname, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile, and Ecuador; countries with the lowest total suicide mortality rates included Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and Brazil, and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. During this period, there was a significant increase in suicide mortality rates among young people in the following countries: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Suriname; countries with significant decreases in suicide mortality rates included Canada, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, and Venezuela. The three leading suicide methods in the Americas were hanging, firearms, and poisoning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some countries of the Americas have experienced a rise in adolescent and youth suicide during the study period, with males at a higher risk of committing suicide than females. Adolescent and youth suicide policies and programs are recommended, to curb this problem. Methodological limitations are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adolescent Health Within the Area of Family and Community Health, Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office of the World Health Organization, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Meaghen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quinlan-Davidson
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information and Analysis Within the Area of Health Surveillance and Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office of the World Health Organization, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanhueza
authors.affiliation: Department of Adolescent Health Within the Area of Family and Community Health, Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office of the World Health Organization, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information and Analysis Within the Area of Health Surveillance and Disease Prevention and Control, Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office of the World Health Organization, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Escamilla-Cejudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Adolescent Health Within the Area of Family and Community Health, Pan American Health Organization/Regional Office of the World Health Organization, Washington, DC. Electronic address: maddelem@paho.org.
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maddaleno
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000569:Americas / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adolescent and youth suicide mortality rates; Average annual percent variation; Relative risks; Suicide in young people