Suicide and age in Alberta, Canada, 1951 to 1977. A cohort analysis.

A cohort analysis was undertaken of the 4,315 deaths by suicide registered in Alberta, Canada, Vital Statistics between the years of 1951 and 1977, inclusive. Age, gender, and year of death were available in all but two instances. Five-year age cohorts were identified and their suicide rates were followed as the cohorts aged. Analyses were done for men and women separately and combined. Suicide rates increased directly with age, regardless of gender for each cohort observed. Once a cohort entered the 15- to 19-year-old age range with a high rate of suicide, the rate for that cohort remained consistently high as it aged.