Abstract
Method Availability and the Prevention of Suicide – a Re-Analysis of Secular Trends in England and Wales 1950-1975
Gunnell D~~Middleton N~~Frankel S
An analysis of age-standardised method-specific suicide rates for England & Wales between 1950-1975 was carried out using routinely available mortality & population statistics. As has been previously shown, there were marked reductions in suicides by gassing in men & women of all ages between 1960-1975. In women & younger men, the effects of these reductions on overall suicide rates were partially offset by rises in drug overdose deaths, but there were no immediate increases in the use of other suicide methods. A modest rise in overdose fatalities was noted in older men. Accessibility to & the lethality of particular methods of suicide may have profound effects on overall suicide rates. (24 refs.)