title: Mortality by suicide: a focus on municipalities with a high proportion of self-reported indigenous people in the state of Amazonas, Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze mortality rates and to describe the demographic and epidemiological characteristics of suicides recorded in the state of Amazonas.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive and retrospective study has been carried out with emphasis on municipalities, which have shown, simultaneously, a high mortality rates and a high proportion of self-reported indigenous population, based on 2005 - 2009 data as provided by the Informatics Department of the Unified National Health System.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the general population of the state of Amazonas, the mortality rate, by suicide, of 4.2/100.000 inhabitants has been reported, similar to that of Manaus (4.6/100.000 inhabitants). In contrast, at Tabatinga (25.2/100.000 inhabitants), at São Gabriel da Cachoeira (27.6/100.000 inhabitants) and at Santa Isabel do Rio Negro (36.4/100.000 inhabitants), municipalities, where the proportion of self-reported indigenous population is high, besides the taxes being notably higher, it was observed that most of the suicides has occurred among men; among young men aged between 15 - 24 years; at home; by hanging; during "weekend" and among the indigenous population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings have unveiled that suicide comes forth as a serious public health issue in some municipalities in the state of Amazonas, further indicating that the event occurs within very specific contexts, and that the dimension and the magnitude of the problem can be even more serious among populations or in territories exclusively inhabited by indigenous people.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Leonidas e Maria Deane, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Manaus, AM, Brasil.
authors.forename: Jesem Douglas Yamall
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Orellana
authors.affiliation: Escola Nacional de Saude Publica Sergio Arouca, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Paulo Cesar
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Basta
authors.affiliation: Instituto Leonidas e Maria Deane, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Manaus, AM, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maximiliano Loiola Ponte
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007199:Indians, South American; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult