title: The rate of fatality and demographic characteristics associated with various suicide methods: a community-based study in Northern Taiwan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding lethality and risk factors of suicide methods is an initial step in suicide prevention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the fatality rate and demographic characteristics of various suicide methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study enrolled consecutive individuals with episodes of suicide attempts registered in a surveillance database in a city with a high rate of suicide mortality in Taiwan, from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2010. In total, 3,089 suicide attempt events (including 2,583 nonfatal suicides and 506 completed suicides) occurred during the study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the fatality rate of suicides was 16.4%. Charcoal burning accounted for the most suicide deaths (37.6%), with a fatality rate of 50.1%. Suicide by hanging carried the highest fatality rate (81.2%). Males tended to choose more lethal methods and had higher fatality rates compared with females. Elders and married persons were less likely to attempt suicide by charcoal burning. The case fatality ratio increased along with age among suicide attempts, but not in those using charcoal burning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The choice of suicide methods and lethality might be influenced by one's demographic characteristics. RESULTS from this study may provide clues for establishing suicide prevention strategies such as restricting access to common lethal suicide methods in the high-risk group.
authors.affiliation: <location>Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan</location>
authors.forename: Chun-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: <location>Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung, Keelung, Taiwan</location>
authors.forename: Ya-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: <location>Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung, Keelung, Taiwan</location> <location>Chang Gung University School of Medicine, Taoyuan, Taiwan </location>
authors.forename: Chih-Ken
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: <location>Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan</location>
authors.forename: Liang-Jen
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001237:Asphyxia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D004332:Drowning / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D062787:Drug Overdose / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: age; charcoal burning; gender; lethality; means of suicide