Suicide
Sex differences
Suicide death rates are consistently higher among young men than young women.
In 2003-2005, the suicide death rate was 22.7 per 100,000 for young men aged 15 to 19 and 29.4 per 100,000 for young men aged 20 to 24. The respective rates for young women were 9.3 and 10.5 per 100,000.
| Age 15-19 | Age 20-24 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Total | Male | Female | Total | |
| 1985–1987 | 17.8 | 4.7 | 11.4 | 31.7 | 8.8 | 20.5 |
| 1988–1990 | 29.1 | 4.9 | 17.2 | 45.9 | 10.2 | 28.3 |
| 1991–1993 | 26.9 | 3.7 | 15.5 | 51.9 | 8.3 | 30.3 |
| 1994–1996 | 31.5 | 12.1 | 22.0 | 50.3 | 12.4 | 31.5 |
| 1997–1999 | 29.2 | 16.2 | 22.9 | 44.6 | 9.3 | 27.1 |
| 2000–2002 | 20.0 | 9.5 | 14.9 | 37.4 | 7.5 | 22.6 |
| 2003–2005 | 22.7 | 9.3 | 16.2 | 29.4 | 10.5 | 20.1 |
Source: Ministry of Health, New Zealand Health Information Service. 2005 data is provisional.
However, across all age groups, women experience consistently higher rates of hospitalisation for intentional self-harm than men, suggesting that they make more non-fatal suicide attempts.(1)
Notes
1. Ministry of Health (2006). New Zealand Suicide Trends: Mortality 1921-2003, Hospitalisations for international self-harm 1978-2004. Monitoring Report No 10. Wellington: Ministry of Health, p. 21.
