Original scientific paper
Epidemiological Features of Suicides in Osijek County, Croatia, from 1986 to 2000
Mladen Marcikić
Mladen Ugljarević
Tomislav Dijanić
Boris Dumenčić
Ivan Požgain
Abstract
Suicide is a devastating tragedy associated with social, cultural and psychological
factors. It takes approximately 1,060 lives in the Republic of Croatia each year. We retrospectively
reviewed all cases referred to in the Registrar office and Police Department at
Osijek County from 1986 to 2000. The cases of suicide totaled 1,017. All of the cases were
analyzed as to age, gender, marital status, occupation, place and time of suicide and
method of suicide. The suicide rate for the entire population of the County averaged
20.5/100,000 inhabitants per annum. The age of the suicides ranged from 15 to 92. The
male to female ratio was 2.1:1. The highest suicide incidence was among the age groups
from 55 to 64 (19.27%), followed by age group from 45 to 54 (16.12 %). The lowest suicide
incidence was among the age group <19 (3.4%). The incidence in the group 85>
years was also low (2.06%). The suicide was frequent among people who live alone: single,
widowed, divorced (47.29%). Eighty percent of victims were found in surroundings
familiar to them. These included various premises of their residences. The retired, the
laborers and the unemployed (67.36%) were predominant among suicide victims. The
most common methods of suicide were hanging (43%), followed by firearms (24%). No
correlation was found with the day of the week or the month of the year. The study
showed a slightly increased rate of suicide, from 21 cases at the beginning of the investigation
(in 1986) to 22.3/100,000 population fifteen years later (in 2000).
Keywords
suicide; epidemiology; forensic pathology; psychiatry
Hrčak ID:
28125
URI
Publication date:
26.6.2003.
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