[Austrian anomalous data in sex-specific trends in suicide rates of central Europe].

To report on suicides among a nation's population over time 4 types of figures, hierarchically related, are used. The total yearly number (1), the crude rate (2), the set of age adjusted rates (3) and the standardized rate (4). Only the latter 2 figures can be used for comparisons among different nations as they adjusted for confounding by age. For the period 1970 to 1990 Austria's 24.4/100,000 person-years (women 13.2, men 38.0), is higher than all of its neighbors except Hungary. We observed, in contrast to reports from other countries, a sex differential in time trends for the same period: male rates increased, whereas those for females decreased over time. Trends in neighboring nations indicated for both sexes always in the same direction. A recent (1986 to 1991) drop in both male and female suicide rates could indicate an end to the observed exception. Thus the sex differential in Austrian rates should be monitored closely in the future.