OBJECTIVE:
To describe the characteristics and the raw
suicide mortality rates (RSMR) during the period 2000-2007 in the municipality with the largest proportion of
self-reported
indigenous people in
Brazil, São Gabriel da Cachoeira (SGC),
State of Amazonas.
METHOD:
A retrospective descriptive study was carried out using data from the Information Department of the
Brazilian Unified Health System (DATASUS). We considered
suicide the
cause of death coded in the
records as voluntary
self-Inflicted
injuries according to the
International Classification of Diseases and Related
Health Problems, 10th revision.
RESULTS:
Forty-four
suicide cases were registered in this period. The average RSMR was 16.8 per 100,000 inhabitants (
male, 26.6;
female, 6.3). The highest rates were observed in the
age groups 15-24 years and 25-34 years, with RSMR of 43.1 and 30.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. Most
suicides occurred among
indigenous people (97.7%),
males (81.8%), and
unmarried people (70.5%). In most cases, deaths occurred at home (86.4%), during weekends (59.1%) and mainly by hanging (97.7%).
CONCLUSION:
Suicide is a significant
health and
social problem in SGC. The
suicide profile observed in this municipality was, as a whole, more
similar to that observed in certain
indigenous communities than that found in most urban and non-indigenous
environments, demonstrating the sociocultural
specificity of these events in
Brazil.
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