Charcoal Burning Suicides in Hong Kong and Urban Taiwan: an Illustration of the Impact of a Novel Suicide Method on Overall Regional Rates

This study examined the impact of charcoal burning suicides on overall suicide rates & older-method suicide rates in Hong Kong & urban Taiwan. A trend analysis was done of the overall & method-specific suicide rates between 1997-2002. Suicides by charcoal burning increased rapidly within 5 years in both Hong Kong & urban Taiwan. This increase was not paralleled by decreases in suicides by older methods. The preponderance of the rise in suicides by charcoal burning suggests that its invention, followed by wide media coverage, may have specifically contributed to the increase in suicide in both regions. (37 refs.)