Suicide Epidemiological Pattern within Ilam Province, Iran

Suicide is one of the most important public health problems in most countries. Evidences suggest that throughout the world nearly one million people die due to suicide each year. Based on official statistics, there are 13 daily reported cases of suicide in Iran. The aim of the present article is to determine the epidemiological patterns and related factors of suicide within the Ilam province of Iran. This cross-sectional study was performed in the year 2005. All suicide data (88 cases) during the year of the study were obtained from the office of Ilam Legal Medicine Organization [[FaRa6]1] by the means of a checklist. The data were then analyzed using SPSS software by applying student t and chi square tests. The results of this study showed that 60% of cases were male and 90% were Kurds. The mean and standard deviation of age for the cases was 29.2± 17 years. In addition, 60.2% were single, 34.1% were married, 3.4% were divorced and 2.3% were widowed. In terms of suicide methods, 49% had committed suicide using self-immolation, 18% using hanging, and 18% using firearms. Considering the low mean age of suicide cases, higher frequency of suicide among singles and higher frequency of suicide using fatal methods, especially self-immolation method, it is highly suggested that comprehensive suicide prevention programs should be performed within the Ilam province.