Suicide now and then ... an elusive comparison: invited commentary on: Lifetime suicide rates in treated schizophrenia: 1875-1924 and 1994-1998 cohorts compared

Consistency in suicide rates in twenty-two developed countries by gender over time 1874--78, 1974--76, and 1998--2000

To determine whether the relative levels of suicide rates among the 22 developed countries were consistent over time 1974--76 v 2000--02 and to compare Durkheim's 11 European countries 1874--78 with their modern counterparts, including the 1984--86 period associated with the European recession. Data from the WHO of All Age "General Population Suicide Rates" (GPSR) by sex were calculated to obtain 3-year averages for the end-points. To determine the consistency of the levels of suicides a series of Spearman Rank Order correlations are calculated for each period. Highly significant correlations are found for men, women and total suicide rates between 1974--76 and 1998--2000, and for the Durkheim countries for the three review periods, indicating despite within-national variations over time, the relative rates between countries was consistent. This consistency suggests a certain national "suicide tradition" based on a complex interaction between cultural, sociological, recording/administrative, and genetic factors.