title: Applying and comparing empirical and full Bayesian models in study of evaluating relative risk of suicide among counties of Ilam province.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Disease mapping includes a set of statistical techniques that provides maps based on estimates of diseases rates. Bayesian ones are the most important models in this field. They consider prior information on changes in the disease rates in overall map and spatial pattern of the disease. These include a broad range of models with their own formulation, characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses. In the present study, we explain and compare three important and widely-used Bayesian models in the study of evaluating relative risk of suicide in Ilam province.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this applied-ecological research, suicide incidence in Ilam province in 2008 and 2009 was analyzed by use of Gamma-Poisson, Log-normal, and BYM Bayesian models. Models were fitted to data using WinBUGS software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fitting the three models showed that Darehshahr and Shirvan-Chrdavol had the highest and the lowest relative risk of suicide, respectively (relative risks based on Gamma-Poisson, Log-normal, and BYM models were 2.243, 2.275, and 2.279 for Dareshahr and 0.321, 0.321, and 0.319 for Shirvan-Chrdavol, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite some differences in estimates, the ranks of relative risks in counties in all three models are the same. The counties based on the relative risks of suicide from the most to the least are: Darehshahr, Ilam, Dehloran, Eyvan, Abdanan, Mehran, Malekshahi, and Shirvan-Chrdavol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Behzad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mahaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Yadollah
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mehrabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences, School of Health, Safety and Environment, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kavousi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Youkhabeh
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mohammadian
authors.affiliation: Ward 2, Ebne-Sina Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kargar
keywords: BYM; Ilam; diseasemapping; empirical bayes; relative risk; suicide