Suicide Facts: 2005–2006 data

Summary

This report, part of a series of monitoring reports released annually, presents and summarises the latest suicide and intentional self-harm hospitalisation data available.

Latest statistics show:

Suicide deaths in 2005

• A total of 502 people died by suicide in 2005, compared with 488 in 2004. The three-year moving average rate of suicide for 2003–2005 was 13.2 deaths per 100,000 population. This rate represents a 19.0% decrease from the 1996-1998 peak (16.3 per 100,000), and continues the downward trend of recent years.
• The sub-groups of the population with the highest three-year moving suicide mortality rates in 2003–2005 were males, Māori (as opposed to non- Māori), those in the age group of 15–44 years, and those residing in the most deprived areas (deprivation quintile 5).
• It was also evident that Wairarapa, Northland and MidCentral District Health Boards had significantly higher suicide rates than the national average in the 2003-2005 period.

Hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in 2006

• There were 5400 hospitalisations for intentional self-harm in 2006, equating to a rate of 151.7 per 100,000 population. This represents a 7.5% increase from the rate in 2005 (141.1 per 100,000 or 4,992 hospitalisations).
• The sub-groups of the New Zealand population with the highest intentional self-harm hospitalisation rates in 2006 were females, Māori (as opposed to non- Māori), those in the life-cycle stage 15–24 years, and those residing in the most deprived areas (quintile five).
• It was also evident that MidCentral, Canterbury, Lakes, Waikato and Otago and significantly higher hospitalisation rates for self-harm than the national average in 2003–2005.