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Li F. A retrospective study of traffic offenses associated with driving under the influence of drugs in China. TRAFFIC INJURY PREVENTION 2024; 25:103-109. [PMID: 38054845 DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2023.2285714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and pattern of traffic offenses associated with driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) in 31 provinces of mainland China. METHODS Traffic offenses were extracted from the nationally representative court file disclosure website. Drivers convicted of traffic offenses associated with DUID were included. The monthly percentage change (MPC) in rates was estimated by fitting negative binomial regression models to assess the time trends. Moran's I was used to determine the correlations of DUID-related rates among surrounding provinces. RESULTS In total, 896 individuals convicted of DUID offenses were identified (April 2007 to March 2022). Of these, 769 individuals were involved in traffic crashes, and they killed 629 people. Regarding the types of drugs, 638 used amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS; methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, amphetamine, and tenamfetamine), 104 used ketamine, 104 used opioids (heroin, morphine, methadone, codeine, and tramadol), 20 used caffeine, 4 used tetrahydrocannabinol, and 1 used gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. The offense trends among overall drug users (MPC, -1.1; p < .001) declined from 2014 to 2020. The trends also decreased for DUID-related traffic crashes (-1.5; p < .001) and deaths (-1.7; p < .001) during the same period. Except in three provinces, ATS-related offense rates were higher than opioid-related offense rates. Ketamine-related offense rates showed a significant positive correlation among the surrounding provinces (Moran's I, 0.22; p < .01), and South China had the highest ketamine-related offense rates. CONCLUSIONS In the sample, the case fatality rate was 70.7%, which was a strong indicator of underreporting, and most minor DUID-related offenses could not be captured by Chinese court files. The frequency of drug screening tests for people should be increased. The traffic police in Qinghai, Tibet, and Xinjiang should always be equipped with fast screening test kits for drugs, which could increase the possibility of identifying DUID offenders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- School of Humanities, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Varì MR, Ricci G, Cavallo M, Pichini S, Sirignano A, Graziano S. Ketamine: from prescription anaesthetic to New Psychoactive Substance. Curr Pharm Des 2022; 28:1213-1220. [PMID: 35538799 DOI: 10.2174/1381612828666220510115209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Discovered in the United States of America (USA) in the 1960s, ketamine was introduced as an anaesthetic drug to specifically replace phencyclidine. Briefly, the substance moved from the medical world to recreational users, since it was discovered that intense psychedelic experiences were obtained with dosages lower than those prescribed for anesthesia. At the end of the 90's, circulated in London nightclubs as a drug itself and as counterfeit 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine tablets. In 1997, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) alerted the United States (US) government to the increasing diffusion of ketamine in American 'clubs', and in 1999, the substance was added to Schedule III of drugs controlled by federal authorities. In 2002, ketamine epidemics moved to Europe, and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction carried out a risk assessment monitoring of the phenomenon. An estimated ninety-nine percent of all global ketamine seizures occurred in Asia. Its growing popularity is due to the fact that this new psychoactive substance is cheaper than other stimulants such as MDMA that the amount used for recreational purposes does not cause respiratory depression and its legal use as a drug makes it widely available for a diversion towards illicit markets. Nevertheless, acute intoxication and several deaths have been related to exclusive ketamine use both in Europe and internationally. Since 2015, there has been and increasing rise of the illicit ketamine market and currently the drug is being used with unprecedented peaks and a consequent significant increase in seizures and clinical cases worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosaria Varì
- National Centre on Addiction and Doping, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Marco Cavallo
- Central Directorate for Antidrug Services, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Pichini
- National Centre on Addiction and Doping, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Silvia Graziano
- National Centre on Addiction and Doping, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Relation of substance use disorders to mortality, accident and emergency department attendances, and hospital admissions: A 13-year population-based cohort study in Hong Kong. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 229:109119. [PMID: 34717115 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The impact of substance use disorders (SUD) in an Asian population has not been fully explored. We aimed to assess the risk of mortality, accident and emergency (A&E) department attendances, and hospital admissions associated with SUD in a population-based cohort study. METHOD Patients diagnosed with SUD in public A&E departments from 2004 to 2016 (N = 8,423) were identified in the Clinical Database Analysis and Reporting System of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority and 1:1 matched to patients without SUD by propensity score (N = 6,074 in each group). Relative risks of mortality, A&E attendances and hospital admissions were assessed using Cox regression and Hurdle negative binomial regression. RESULTS Patients with SUD had higher mortality (hazard ratio=1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.26-1.62) and more often died from poisoning or toxicity and injuries. The odds ratio (OR) for A&E attendances and all-cause hospital admissions associated with SUD were 2.80 (95% CI=2.58-3.04) and 3.54 (95% CI=3.26-3.83), respectively. The impact of SUD on the above outcomes was greatest among school-aged individuals (≤ 21 years) and decreased with age. The relative risk of mental disorder-related hospital admissions was much higher than that for infections, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. In patients with SUD, ketamine and amphetamine use were associated with increased A&E attendances than opioid use. CONCLUSIONS SUD was associated with increased mortality, A&E attendances and hospital admissions, especially in school-aged individuals. Our findings suggest prioritising early treatment and preventive interventions for school-aged individuals and focusing on the management of comorbid mental disorders and the use of ketamine and amphetamine.
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Rostam-Abadi Y, Gholami J, Noroozi A, Ansari M, Baheshmat S, Hamzehzadeh M, Ghadirzadeh MR, Vahdani B, Ekhtiari H, Mojtabai R, Rahimi-Movaghar A. Public health risks associated with methadone in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2021; 100:103529. [PMID: 34826790 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There has been a marked growth in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in Iran in the past two decades with positive health outcomes. We conducted a systematic review of studies on the prevalence of non-prescribed methadone use, methadone use disorder, and methadone-related poisoning and mortality in Iran. METHODS We searched International and Iranian databases up to May 2020 and contacted relevant experts. The pooled proportions were estimated through random-effects model. Methadone-related adverse outcomes were evaluated over time. RESULTS Sixty-five studies were included. The pooled estimates of non-prescribed methadone use in the last 12-month were 2.7% (95%CI: 0.9-5.4) and 0.1% (95%CI: 0.03-0.2) in the male and female general population, respectively. Among people who use drugs, 8.4% reported daily non-prescribed use in 2018. Four heterogeneous studies in drug treatment centers reported the existence of treatment-seeking for methadone use disorder. Methadone was responsible for 10.4% (95%CI: 4.5-18.3) of cases of acute poisoning in adults and 16.0% (95%CI: 9.3-24.1) in children. Methadone was reported as a cause of death in 53.5% of substance-related deaths referred to the Legal Medicine Organization while being the only cause in 35.8% of all cases. CONCLUSION Non-prescribed use of methadone in the general population is much less than opiates and some other available prescription opioids, like tramadol. However, notwithstanding the large and successful MMT program in Iran, increasing trends in methadone-related poisoning and deaths pose serious public health concerns. There is an urgent need to explore these fatal and non-fatal poisoning cases and implement policies to curb the harms associated with methadone use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasna Rostam-Abadi
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jaleh Gholami
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Noroozi
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mina Ansari
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shahab Baheshmat
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine (SATiM), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Marziyeh Hamzehzadeh
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine (SATiM), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Bita Vahdani
- Center for Disease Affairs and Transplant, Ministry of Health, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Ekhtiari
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Ramin Mojtabai
- Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Afarin Rahimi-Movaghar
- Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Corkery JM, Hung WC, Claridge H, Goodair C, Copeland CS, Schifano F. Recreational ketamine-related deaths notified to the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths, England, 1997-2019. J Psychopharmacol 2021; 35:1324-1348. [PMID: 34092131 PMCID: PMC8600594 DOI: 10.1177/02698811211021588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ketamine is a phencyclidine derivative with dissociative anaesthetic properties. Increasing numbers of individuals in England take ketamine recreationally. Information on deaths arising from such use in England is presented. METHODS Cases were extracted on 31 January 2020 from the National Programme on Substance Abuse Deaths database, based on text searches of the cause of death, coroner's verdict and positive toxicology results for the terms 'ketamine' or 'norketamine'. FINDINGS During 1997-2005, there were <5 deaths p.a. in which ketamine was implicated. Numbers increased until 2009 (21), plateauing until 2016; thereafter, deaths have risen to about 30 p.a. Decedents' characteristics (N = 283): male 84.1%, mean age 31.2 (SD 10.0) years, employed 56.5%, drug use history 79.6% and living with others 60.3%. Ketamine was detected with other substances in most cases. Main (74.6%) underlying cause of death was accidental poisoning. Ketamine may have impaired judgement in other cases. CONCLUSIONS Although controlled, recreational ketamine use and related fatalities continue to increase. Consumers need to be more aware of the potentially fatal risks they face.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Martin Corkery
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse and
Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical
and Biological Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire,
UK
- John Martin Corkery, Psychopharmacology,
Drug Misuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, Department of
Clinical, Pharmaceutical and Biological Sciences, University of Hertfordshire,
Room 2F419, Health Research Building, College Lane Campus, Hatfield, Herts AL10
9AB, UK.
| | - Wan-Chu Hung
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Hugh Claridge
- National Programme on Substance Abuse
Deaths, St George’s, University of London, London, UK
- Population Health Research Institute,
St George’s, University of London, London, UK
| | - Christine Goodair
- National Programme on Substance Abuse
Deaths, St George’s, University of London, London, UK
- Population Health Research Institute,
St George’s, University of London, London, UK
| | - Caroline S Copeland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
King’s College London, London, UK
- National Programme on Substance Abuse
Deaths, St George’s, University of London, London, UK
- Population Health Research Institute,
St George’s, University of London, London, UK
| | - Fabrizio Schifano
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse and
Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, Department of Clinical, Pharmaceutical
and Biological Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire,
UK
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Monk-Turner E, Fu H, Li J, Yang X. Perceptions of drug users and community gate keepers on the causes and consequences of synthetic drug use in Kunming: A three-level social-ecological approach. J Ethn Subst Abuse 2021; 22:659-680. [PMID: 34632964 DOI: 10.1080/15332640.2021.1982805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic drug use (SDU) is on the rise in China. Utilizing a grounded three-level social-ecological theoretical model, we aim to better understand how users, medical professionals, and other community gatekeepers perceive the causes and consequences of synthetic drug use in Kunming, China. Past work typically relies on drug users confined to rehabilitation facilities. Utilizing qualitative methods, our work integrates how various community actors perceive problems around synthetic drug use. Thirty face-to-face interviews were conducted in Kunming that were audio-recorded and transcribed. We identify emergent personal, interpersonal and societal level themes shaping SDU which provided our grounded theoretical model. Regardless of their social position, informants identified curiosity, peer networks that facilitated exposure, and the communality of sharing the drug experience as reasons to try synthetic drugs. Drug users reported negative consequences of SDU including the inability to sleep, a fear that others might discover one was using, and the difficulty of quitting. Medical professionals and others in the community were more likely to identify potential harms of SDU. Still, these community members felt synthetic drugs were less problematic than traditional drugs and reported less prejudice and stigma about these new drugs. Overall, medical professionals felt ill-prepared to deal with this new epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hongyun Fu
- Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA
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Li F, Jia H, Liu J, Liu S, Lu X, Yip PSF. Self-Stigma and Its Relationship With Rates of Depression Diagnosis. CRISIS 2021; 43:190-196. [PMID: 33944611 DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background: Self-stigma about suicide might impede people seeking help from mental health professionals. There is little research about self-stigma expressed by suicide decedents. Aims: We aimed to explore (a) self-stigma about suicide through examination of suicide notes; and (b) whether the expression of self-stigma was associated with the formal diagnoses of depression. Method: Data were extracted from notes left by people who died by suicide in two major Chinese cities (Shanghai, 2004-2017; Wuhan, 2005-2019). Note content was examined and self-stigma items were coded. Demographics associated with self-stigma were reported. Rates of depression were compared between note-leavers who expressed self-stigma, and those who did not. Results: Notes were left by 567 suicide decedents (representing about 19% all suicides). Approximately 25% notes contained at least one self-stigma item. Older people made fewer self-stigma references, as did people from Wuhan. Depression was not associated with self-stigma. Limitations: Not all people dying from suicide leave notes, and suicide notes variably report self-stigma, thus self-stigma about suicide may be underestimated. Conclusion: Self-stigma items varied across regions and age groups, but not with depression. Therefore, self-stigma expressed by suicide decedents may not reflect help-seeking behaviours from professional mental health services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- School of Humanities, Southeast University, Nanjing, PR China
| | - Haipeng Jia
- Criminal Detective Department, Qiaokou District of Wuhan Municipal Public Security Bureau, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Jinchen Liu
- College of Life Science, Lanzhou University, PR China
| | - Sihai Liu
- Criminal Detective Department, Jiang'an District of Wuhan Municipal Public Security Bureau, Wuhan, PR China
| | - Xuesong Lu
- Criminal Science Institute, Pudong District of Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau, Shanghai, PR China
| | - Paul S F Yip
- HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, PR China
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Shi M, Ding J, Li L, Bai H, Li X, Lan L, Fan H, Gao L. Effects of Ketamine on Learning and Memory in the Hippocampus of Rats through ERK, CREB, and Arc. Brain Sci 2020; 11:brainsci11010027. [PMID: 33383707 PMCID: PMC7824469 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11010027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ketamine has become a popular recreational drug due to its neuronal anesthesia effect and low price. The process of learning and memory is part of the distinctive high-level neural activities in animals. We investigated the effects of subanesthetic and anesthetic doses of ketamine on the learning and memory-related signal transduction mechanisms. We used the Morris water maze test to execute rats' learning and memory ability and detected changes of Arc mRNA and Arc, cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), phospho-CREB (p-CREB), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and phospho-ERK (p-ERK) protein expression in the hippocampus 10 min and 24 h after administration. Ten min after ketamine injection, the Arc gene and the protein expression levels increased in all groups; p-ERK only increased in the chronic subanesthetic dose group. After 24 h, the Arc gene and the protein expression levels of the subanesthetic dose group increased, but those of the chronic subanesthetic dose group and anesthetic dose group decreased. However, p-ERK increased in all groups. A chronic subanesthetic dose of ketamine could increase learning and memory ability through ERK, CREB, and Arc in a short time, and the high body temperature after the subanesthetic dose of ketamine injection was the main factor leading to changes in Arc. The subanesthetic dose of ketamine regulated learning and memory through ERK, CREB, and ARC 24 h after injection.
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Paknahad S, Akhgari M, Ghadipasha M. An alarming rise in the prevalence of deaths with methamphetamine involved in Tehran, Iran 2011-2018. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2020; 17:208-215. [PMID: 33237521 DOI: 10.1007/s12024-020-00339-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine is one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs in Iran. Despite this fact, there has been relatively little research on methamphetamine-associated deaths in Iran. The present study aimed to investigate the cause of death in methamphetamine positive cases based on forensic toxicology findings In this data base descriptive study, individuals with methamphetamine-associated deaths that were referred to the Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran (2011-2018) were assessed. Deaths including those from natural causes, toxicity, accident and suicides with positive forensic toxicology analyses for methamphetamine and its metabolite amphetamine in postmortem samples were investigated. All cases were examined to determine trends in methamphetamine-associated deaths, and in the manner and causes of deaths. During the eight year study there were 1389 methamphetamine-associated deaths. The mean age was 37.47±10.87 years, with a male/female ratio of 12.36:10. The methamphetamine-associated death rate increased significantly during the study period (2.05 vs. 21.93 per 106 Tehran province populations). The most common cause of death was cardiac arrest due to stimulant abuse with supportive histologic findings of acute myocardial infarction, myocardial fiber hypertrophy, aortic dissection and perivascular fibrosis (25%). Opioids (methadone, tramadol and morphine), tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazepines were frequently present in postmortem samples of study cases. Methamphetamine-associated deaths significantly contribute to illicit drug-associated deaths in Tehran and represent a substantial clinical and public health problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somayeh Paknahad
- Department of Toxicology & Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University (IAUPS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Maryam Akhgari
- Forensic Toxicology Department, Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Masoud Ghadipasha
- Forensic Toxicology Department, Legal Medicine Research Center, Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran
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Paknahad S, Akhgari M, Ghadipasha M. An alarming rise in the prevalence of deaths with methamphetamine involved in Tehran, Iran 2011-2018. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2020. [DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-020-00339-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Li F, Yip PSF. How to make adjustments of underreporting of suicide by place, gender, and age in China? Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2020; 55:1133-1143. [PMID: 32221643 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-020-01856-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Underreporting of suicide is a worldwide problem. In particular, the national suicide rates published by the Chinese Ministry of Health ("MOH") could be severely underreported. Validity of the assumption of evenly underreported of suicide by place (city/rural), gender, and age in China has been evaluated and some possible adjustments to the underreporting have been suggested. METHODS Mortality rates from the MOH from 2002 to 2016 were extracted. Due to zero undetermined deaths, accidental deaths (weighted by causes of death) were used to evaluate underreported suicides. 53% of drownings, 11% of falls, 11% of poisonings, and 7% of other accidents were assumed as underreported suicides. Negative binomial regressions were used to calculate the rate ratios of the underreported suicides compared to suicides. Negative binomial regressions were also used to calculate the annual percentage changes of different mortality rates. RESULTS Suicides of rural males could most likely be underreported (49%; 95% CI 39-61%), but suicides of rural females would least likely (30%; 95% CI 24-38%). Suicides of people aged 15-24 years and 75 years and above could more likely to be underreported than other ages. After adding the underreported suicides, declining trends of the national suicide rates had been eased. CONCLUSIONS People who lack social connection could have a high possibility of underreporting suicide. However, when rural females died of unnatural causes, their parents or even the whole village tended to quest for their intents, thus rural females had a lower possibility of underreporting suicide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Li
- Social Work and Social Administration Department, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Paul S F Yip
- Social Work and Social Administration Department, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research, 5 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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