Disparities in suicide mortality trends between United States of America ă and 25 European countries: retrospective analysis of WHO mortality ă database

The objective was to examine changes in temporal trends in suicide ă mortality in 26 Western countries by retrospective trend analysis of the ă WHO mortality database on causes of deaths. From 1990 to 2010, there was ă a median reduction in suicide mortality of 22.7%, ranging from a 46% ă reduction in Estonia to a 26.2% increase in Romania. Suicide mortality ă decreased by >= 20% in 15 countries, and the reduction tended to be ă greater in countries with higher mortality in 1990. In most of the ă central European countries mortality strongly declined. The median ă changes in the age groups were -25.3% (range -62.9% to 72.6%) in ă people aged 15-24 years, -36.9% (-60.5% to 32.4%) in 25-34 years, ă -3.6% (-57.1% to 92%) in 35-54 years, -12.2% (-37% to 65,7%) in ă 55-74 years and -16.1% (-54.5% to 166.7%) in >= 75 years. Suicide ă prevention programs in youths and in the elderly seem to be effective ă (at least in females for the elderly) and efforts should be pursued in ă this way. However, suicide mortality of the people aged 35-54 years has ă increased in half of the studied countries between 1990 and 2010. Public ă policies should further orientate their efforts toward this population.