title: Suicide among immigrants in Europe--a systematic literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Concerns about increased suicide risk among immigrants to European countries have been raised. We review the scientific literature on differences in suicide among immigrants compared with the majority populations in Europe's major immigration countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the databases PubMed and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed epidemiological studies published in 1990-2011, which compared suicide risks of adult immigrant groups with the risks of the majority population in European countries. Hits were screened by two researchers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 24 studies in the review. No generalizable pattern of suicide among immigrants was found. Immigrants from countries in which suicide risks are particularly high, i.e. countries in Northern and Eastern Europe, experienced higher suicide rates relative to groups without migration background. Gender and age differences were observed. Young female immigrants from Turkey, East Africa and South Asia are a risk group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immigrants 'bring along' their suicide risk, at least for the initial period they spend in the immigration country. Health-care planners and providers need to be aware of this 'imported risks'. However, most immigrant groups do not have an increased suicide risk relative to the local-born population; some may even experience substantially lower risks.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany jacob.spallek@uni-bielefeld.de.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spallek
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reeske
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Public Health, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, Section for Health Services Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Norredam
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Public Health, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity and Health, Section for Health Services Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Signe Smith
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lehnhardt
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Razum
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*