‘Hidden’ Suicides Amongst Deaths Certified as Undetermined Intent, Accident by Pesticide Poisoning and Accident by Suffocation in Taiwan

This study sought to identify cause-of-death categories in which suicides might be misclassified in Taiwan. Secular trends, 1971-2007, were plotted in gender- & method-specific rates of death classified as suicide, undetermined intent, & accident for the Taiwanese population aged 15 years & older & compared the gender, age, & marital status profiles in these 3 categories by method of death. For the period 1990-2007, suicide rates based on suicides alone (14.8 per 100,000) would increase by 23, 7, & 1%, respectively, when including deaths of undetermined intent, accidental pesticide poisonings, & accidental suffocations. Suicide rates may be underestimated by more than 30% because some suicides are hidden amongst deaths certified as due to other causes. (48 refs.) JA