Demography and risk factors of suicidal behavior in Bangladesh: A retrospective online news content analysis.

BACKGROUND

Suicide is an under attended public health problem in Bangladesh as there is no central suicide database and no national suicide surveillance system in the country.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to look into the suicide metrics in Bangladesh by analyzing the online news portals, retrospectively.

METHODS

Eight Bangla online news portals were selected purposively to include in the study and news of suicides were searched retrospectively. Search was conducted by the word "suicide news" (Attohottar Khabor). Initially news portal were searched with the searching word retrospectively. Then links of all news were collected. After removal of the repetitions data were inputted into software.

RESULTS

Since 2009 to April 2018, three hundred fifty-eight reports were scrutinized. Mean age was 23.84 (±11.42) years, ranging from 10-85 years. Seventy percent of the reported cases were less than 30 years of age, 60.1% were female, 37.7% were student, 48.6% from rural background, and about 51% were unmarried. Hanging was found as the commonest method (60.9%) and affair related issues remained as a noticeable risk factor (14.25%). About 8% of the respondents were found to have suicide notes and suicides were found higher in night & spring.

CONCLUSION

Early adult, female gender, unmarried, students were more vulnerable. Hanging was commonest method followed by poisoning. Affair related aspects, marital discord, familial disharmony drew attention as risk factors. Suicide happened higher in the night and spring season.