Rates and Factors Associated with Suicide in Kaniyambadi Block, Tamil Nadu, South India, 2000–2002

Background : Inefficient civil registration systems, non-report of deaths, variable standards in certifying death and the legal and social consequences of suicide are major obstacles to investigating suicide in the developing world. Objective : The aim of this study was to prospectively determine the suicide rate in Kaniyambadi Block, Tamil Nadu, South India, for the years 2000–2002 using verbal autopsies. Method : The setting for the study was a comprehensive community health programme in a development block in rural South India. The main outcome measure was death by suicide, diagnosed by a detailed verbal autopsy and census, and birth and death data to identify the population base. Results : The average suicide rate was 92.1 per 100,000. The ratio of male to female suicides was 1: 0.66. The age-specific suicide rate for men increased with age while that for women showed two peaks: 15–24 years and over 65 years of age. Hanging (49%) and poisoning with organo-phosphorus compounds (40.5%) were the commonest methods of committing suicide. Acute and/or chronic stress was elicited for nearly all subjects. More men suffered from chronic stress while more women had acute precipitating events (X 2 4.58; p