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Stephen Platt, Paul Boyle, Iain Crombie, Zhiqiang Feng, Dan Exeter
ISBN 978 0 7559 6339 3 (Web only publication)
This document is also available in pdf format (1.2mb)

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.2 Aim and objectives
1.3 Structure of the report

2. METHODS
2.1 Data
2.1.1 Deaths data
2.1.2 Population data
2.2 Data analyses
2.2.1 Three year moving average of suicide rates
2.2.2 Suicide rates by social class
2.2.3 Ratio of male: female age-adjusted rates
2.2.4 Methods of suicide
2.2.5 SMR analysis
2.2.6 Age analysis
2.2.7 Area deprivation analysis

3. FINDINGS
3.1 Allocation of deaths to intentional self harm and undetermined categories
3.2 National suicide trends over time (objective 1)
3.3 Local suicide trends (three year moving average) (objective 1)
3.4 Suicide rates by social class (objective 2)
3.5 Ratio of male: female age-adjusted rates (objective 2)
3.6 Methods of suicide
3.7 Variation in suicide rates by local area (objective 1)
3.8 Suicide rates by age and sex (objective 2)
3.9 Area deprivation analysis
3.10 Relationship between area deprivation and social class (objective 5)

4. CONCLUSIONS
4.1 Key findings
4.2 Policy messages

5. GLOSSARY

6. REFERENCES

APPENDIX: TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF THE RESEARCH METHOD

Annex 1 Three year moving average of suicide rates centred on the middle year, by sex, separately for each local authority, 1989-2004
Annex 2 Three year moving average of suicide rates centred on the middle year, by sex, separately for each health board, 1989-2004
Annex 3 Male suicide rates by social class, separately for each local authority, 1989-1995 and 1996-2002
Annex 4 Male suicide rates by social class, separately for each health board, 1989-1995 and 1996-2002
Annex 5 Suicide rates by method of suicide and sex, separately for each local authority, 1989-1995 and 1996-2002
Annex 6 Suicide rates by method of suicide and sex, separately for each health board, 1989-1995 and 1996-2002
Annex 7 Suicide rates by age group and sex, separately for each local authority, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Annex 8 Suicide rates by age group and sex, separately for each health board, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Annex 9 SMRs by population weighted deprivation tercile, all persons, separately for each local authority, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Annex 10 SMRs by population weighted deprivation tercile, all persons, separately for each health board, 1989-95 and 1996-2002

INDEX OF TABLES
Table 2.1 Socio-demographic variables included in the suicide dataset
Table 3.1 Percent of deaths classified as intentional self harm or undetermined, by method, Scotland, 1989-2002
Table 3.2 Percent of deaths classified as intentional self harm or undetermined, by local authority, Scotland, 1989-2002
Table 3.3 Suicide among people aged 15 and over, by sex and year, Scotland, 1989-2004
Table 3.4 Suicide among people aged 15 and over, by sex and local authority, 1989-2002
Table 3.5 Suicide among people aged 15 and over, by sex and health board, 1989-2002
Table 3.6 Suicide among people aged 15 and over by sex and age, Scotland, 1989-2002
Table 3.7 The widening suicide gap in Scotland, 1989-1995 to 1996-2002
Table 3.8 The widening suicide gap, 1989-95 to 1996-2002, by local authority
Table 3.9 The widening suicide gap, 1989-95 to 1996-2002, by health board
Table A1 Summary statistics for official health boards in 2001 and pseudo health boards derived from CATTs
Table A2 The definitions of the four variables used to construct the Carstairs index of deprivation: 1991 and 2001 censuses
Table A3 Analytic classes and operational categories and sub-categories of NS- SEC

INDEX OF FIGURES
Figure 3. 1 Crude suicide rates, by sex, Scotland, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 2 Three year moving average of suicide rates centred on the middle year, by sex, Scotland, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 3 Three year moving average of male suicide rates, Glasgow City, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 4 Three year moving average of female suicide rates, Glasgow City, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 5 Three year moving average of male suicide rates, North Lanarkshire, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 6 Three year moving average of male suicide rates, South Lanarkshire, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 7 Three year moving average of female suicide rates, Aberdeen City, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 8 Three year moving average of male suicide rates, East Ayrshire, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 9 Three year moving average of female suicide rates, Dundee City, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 10 Three year moving average of male suicide rates, Shetland Islands, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 11 Three year moving average of female suicide rates, Shetland Islands, 1989-2004
Figure 3. 12 Suicide rates by social class, males, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 13 Ratio of male to female age-adjusted suicide rate by local authority, Scotland, 1989-2002
Figure 3. 14 Ratio of male to female age-adjusted suicide rate by local authority, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 15 Ratio of male to female age-adjusted suicide rate by health board, Scotland, 1989-2002
Figure 3. 16 Ratio of male to female age-adjusted suicide rate by health board, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 17 Suicide rate by method, males, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 18 Suicide rate by method, females, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 19 Proportion of suicides by method, males, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 20 Proportion of suicides by method, females, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 21 Suicide rate by method, males, Eilean Siar, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 22 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by local authority area, males and females, 1989-2002
Figure 3. 23 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by local authority area and sex, 1989-2002
Figure 3. 24 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by health board area, males, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 25 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by health board area, females, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 26 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by health board, males and females, 1989-2002
Figure 3. 27 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by health board area and sex, 1989-2002
Figure 3. 28 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by health board area, males, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 29 Standardised mortality ratio of suicide by health board area, females, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 30 Suicide rates among men, by age, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 31 Suicide rates among women, by age, Scotland, 1989-95 and 1996-2002
Figure 3. 32 SMRs by population weighted deprivation quintile, all persons, Scotland, 1989-95 to 1996-2002
Figure 3. 33 SMRs by population weighted deprivation quintile, males, Scotland, 1989-95 to 1996-2002
Figure 3. 34 SMRs by population weighted deprivation quintile, females, Scotland, 1989-95 to 1996-2002
Figure 3. 35 SMRs by population weighted deprivation quintile, persons aged 15-44 years, Scotland, 1989-95 to 1996-2002
Figure 3. 36 SMRs by population weighted deprivation quintile, persons aged 45+ years, Scotland, 1989-95 to 1996-2002
Figure 3. 37 Suicide rates by deprivation quintile and social class, 1989-1995, Scotland, males
Figure 3. 38 Suicide rates by deprivation quintile and social class, 1996-2002, Scotland, males

Related Web Links:

www.chooselife.net

www.wellscotland.info

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Census output is Crown copyright and is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland. We thank Professor Gillian Raab for providing a formula to calculate confidence intervals for male: female suicide ratios. We also thank the General Register Office for Scotland for making available the dataset on suicide/intentional self harm and undetermined deaths.

The views expressed in this report are those of the researcher and
do not necessarily represent those of the Department or Scottish Ministers.

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