Suicides in Visually Impaired Persons: A Nation-Wide Register-Linked Study from Finland Based on Thirty Years of Data.
Focusing on seasonality, gender, age, and suicide methods a Finnish nation-wide cohort-based study was carried out to compare suicide data between sighted, visually-impaired (WHO impairment level I-II, i.e., visual acuity >0.05, but <0.3) and blind (WHO impairment level III-V, i.e., visual acuity <0.05) victims. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) of age- and gender-matched populations from official 1982-2011 national registers were used. Group differences in categorical variables were assessed with Pearson's Chi-square or Fisher's Exact test and in continuous variables with Mann-Whitney U-test. Seasonality was assessed by Chi-square for multinomials; ratio of observed to expected number of suicides was calculated with 95% confidence level. Hanging, poisoning, drowning, but rarely shooting or jumping from high places, were preferred suicide methods of the blind. Mortality was significantly increased in the visually impaired (SMR = 1.3; 95% CI 1.07-1.61), but in gender-stratified analyses the increase only affected males (1.34; 95% CI = 1.06-1.70) and not females (1.24; 95% CI 0.82-1.88). Age-stratified analyses identified blind males of working age rather than older men (as in the general population) as a high risk group that requires particular attention. The statistically significant spring suicide peak in blind subjects mirrors that of sighted victims and its possible cause in the blind is discussed.
Department of Biology (Physiology), Oulu University, (V.B.M-R), Oulu, Finland.
Victor Benno
VB
Meyer-Rochow
Department of Psychiatry, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
Helinä
H
Hakko
Finnish Federation and Register of the Visually Impaired, Helsinki, Finland.
Matti
M
Ojamo
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland.
Hannu
H
Uusitalo
Center for Life Course Epidemiology and Systems Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Markku
M
Timonen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D012042:Registries; D012621:Seasons; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult