Participation in screening for cardiovascular risk by people with schizophrenia or similar mental illnesses: cross sectional study in general practice

1994 and 1996-7; they concluded that the method does not over-report the number of suicides.We estimated population using census data (from 1994), which are updated regularly.The mean suicide rate for the 6 year period was 95.2/100 000 (range 83.7-106.3/100000) and did not change significantly over time (96.7,106.3, 83.7, 103.6, 89.8, and 90.9 in each 100 000 population for each year 1994-9).Suicides accounted for between 8% (89/ 1057) and 12% (112/940) of total deaths.Suicides in women were 0.84 times as likely as suicides among men; this ratio did not change significantly over time.Older men were more likely to commit suicide than younger men (table).Most women who committed suicide were aged 15-24 or older than 65.We found more suicides among women (102/278) than among men (58/331) in the 15-24 years age group ( 2 for linear trend=15.5;P < 0.001).Poisoning (275/609; 45%) and hanging (248/609; 41%) were the commonest methods overall.A greater proportion of women chose drowning or burning ( 2 =52.2; df=1; P < 0.0001) than men, who more often chose poisoning or hanging.People younger than 44 years tended to use poison; older people tended to choose hanging ( 2 =44.1; df=18; P < 0.001).From 1994 until 1999, the proportion of suicide by poisoning, hanging, and drowning did not change significantly.The number of suicides by burning increased from 4 in 1994 to 11 in 1999 ( 2 for linear trend=7.25;P=0.007).No suti-a widow committing suicide by burning in her husband's funeral pyre-was recorded.