Bandara Piumee, Wickrama Prabath, Sivayokan Sambasivamoorthy, Knipe Duleeka, Rajapakse Thilini
Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
South Asian Clinical Toxicology Research Collaboration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024 Apr 17;4(4):e0003054. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003054. eCollection 2024.
Despite reductions in suicide rates in Sri Lanka during the past decades, largely by introduction of national bans on highly hazardous pesticides, the country continues to record a higher than global average rate of suicide. With the changing availability of methods of suicide over time, we aimed to examine the age-standardized suicide rates in Sri Lanka by sex, age, and method between 1997 to 2022 using national police suicide data to identify trends. The rate of suicide in Sri Lanka in 2022 was 27/100,000 and 5/100,000, in males and females respectively, with an overall suicide rate of 15/100,000 population. When considering the previous decades, the overall rate of suicide has declined from 1997 until about 2015, in both sexes, driven by a drop in the numbers of suicides due to pesticide ingestion. In females the overall rates of suicide plateaued around 2015, but in males there has been an upward trend in overall suicide that started in 2016, mostly due to an increase in rates of hanging. Since 2016 rates of suicide by hanging have increased among older males, and young females (17-25 years). Whilst the current suicide rate in Sri Lanka is substantially lower than it was during the 1990s, the upward trend in hanging seen in the last few years, particularly among older men and young women, is of concern. Ongoing monitoring of suicide rates should be a priority during the next few years, to detect and respond to changes as soon as possible. There is an urgent need to address current risk factors for suicide in Sri Lanka, such as significant financial insecurity, unemployment, depression, alcohol misuse, and domestic violence, and to minimize media glamourization of hanging by suicide.
尽管在过去几十年里，斯里兰卡的自杀率有所下降，这主要得益于该国实施了全国范围内对高危险性农药的禁令，但该国的自杀率仍高于全球平均水平。随着自杀方式随时间的变化，我们旨在利用国家警方的自杀数据，研究1997年至2022年间斯里兰卡按性别、年龄和自杀方式划分的年龄标准化自杀率，以确定趋势。2022年，斯里兰卡男性自杀率为27/10万，女性自杀率为5/10万，总体自杀率为15/10万人口。回顾过去几十年，在1997年至2015年左右，由于农药摄入导致的自杀人数下降，男女总体自杀率均有所下降。女性的总体自杀率在2015年左右趋于平稳，但男性的总体自杀率自2016年开始呈上升趋势，主要原因是上吊自杀率上升。自2016年以来，老年男性和年轻女性（17 - 25岁）的上吊自杀率有所上升。虽然斯里兰卡目前的自杀率远低于20世纪90年代，但过去几年上吊自杀率的上升趋势，尤其是在老年男性和年轻女性中，令人担忧。在未来几年，持续监测自杀率应成为优先事项，以便尽快发现并应对变化。迫切需要解决斯里兰卡目前的自杀风险因素，如严重的经济不安全、失业、抑郁、酒精滥用和家庭暴力，并尽量减少媒体对自杀上吊行为的美化。
