Table 1.
Results from key studies on the prevalence of suicidal behavior, 1997–2007
| Study (reference no.) | Location and study design | Sample (ages of participants) | Prevalence estimate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| US studies—adults (n = 11) | |||
| Kessler et al., 1999 (47) | Nationally representative sample | 5,877 adults (15–54 years) | Lifetime ideation: 13.5 |
| Lifetime plans: 3.9 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 4.6 | |||
| Dube et al., 2001 (207) | Primary care clinic in San Diego, California | 17,337 adults (mean age = 57 years; standard deviation, 15.3) | Lifetime attempts: 3.8 |
| Kuo et al., 2001 (208) | Baltimore, Maryland, community population | 1,920 adults for this follow-up study (at baseline, ≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 5.6 |
| Lifetime attempts: 1.9 | |||
| Ialongo et al., 2002 (209) | Baltimore, Maryland, metropolitan area | 1,157 African Americans (19–22 years) | Lifetime ideation: 14.3 |
| Lifetime attempts: 5.3 | |||
| 6-month ideation: 1.9* | |||
| 6-month attempts: 0.4* | |||
| Garroutte et al., 2003 (149) | Northern Plains reservations | 1,456 American Indian tribal members (15–57 years) | Lifetime attempts: 8.7 |
| Joe et al., 2006 (210) | Nationally representative sample | 5,181 African Americans (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 11.7 |
| Lifetime attempts: 4.1 | |||
| 12-month ideation: 2.1 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 0.2 | |||
| Nock and Kessler, 2006 (34) | Nationally representative sample | 5,877 adults (15–54 years) | Lifetime gestures (no intent): 1.9* |
| Lifetime attempts (with intent): 2.7 | |||
| Lifetime total attempts: 4.6 | |||
| Fortuna et al., 2007 (211) | Latino ethnic subgroups | 2,554 Spanish- and English-speaking members of Latino ethnic subgroups | Lifetime ideation: 10.1 |
| Lifetime attempts: 4.4 | |||
| Brener et al., 1999 (212) | College student population | 4,609 undergraduate and graduate students (≥18 years) | 12-month ideation: approximately 10 |
| 12-month plans: approximately 7 | |||
| 12-month attempts: approximately 2 | |||
| Kessler et al., 2005 (22) | Nationally representative sample | 9,708 adults (18–54 years), surveyed either between 1990 and 1992 (T1; n = 5,388) or between 2001 and 2003 (T2; n = 4,320) | 12-month ideation (T1): 2.8 |
| 12-month ideation (T2): 3.3 | |||
| 12-month plans (T1): 0.7 | |||
| 12-month plans (T2): 1.0 | |||
| 12-month gestures (T1): 0.3 | |||
| 12-month gestures (T2): 0.2 | |||
| 12-month attempts (T1): 0.4 | |||
| 12-month attempts (T2): 0.6 | |||
| Borges et al., 2006 (57) | Nationally representative sample | 5,692 adults (≥18 years) | 12-month ideation: 2.6 |
| 12-month plans: 0.7 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 0.4 | |||
| US studies—adolescents (n = 6) | |||
| Alaimo et al., 2002 (213) | Nationally representative sample | 754 adolescents (15–16 years) | Lifetime ideation: 19.8 |
| Lifetime attempts: 4.6 | |||
| Eisenberg et al., 2003 (214) | Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, metropolitan area | 4,746 adolescents (grades 7–12) | Lifetime ideation: 24.0 |
| Lifetime attempts: 8.8 | |||
| Waldrop et al., 2007 (215) | Household probability sample | 3,906 adolescents (12–17 years) | Lifetime ideation: 23.3 |
| Lifetime attempts: 3.1 | |||
| O'Donnell et al., 2004 (156) | Economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Brooklyn, New York | 879 urban adolescents (16–17 years) | 12-month ideation: 15.0 |
| 12-month plans: 12.6 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 10.6 | |||
| 12-month multiple attempts: 4.3 | |||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007 (45) | Nationally representative sample (biannually 1991–2005, Youth Risk Behavior Survey) | Adolescents (grades 9–12) from whom data were biannually collected between 1991 (n = 12,272) and 2005 (n = 13,953) | 12-month ideation (1991): 29.0 |
| 12-month ideation (1993): 24.1 | |||
| 12-month ideation (1995): 24.1 | |||
| 12-month ideation (1997): 20.5 | |||
| 12-month ideation (1999): 19.3 | |||
| 12-month ideation (2001): 19.0 | |||
| 12-month ideation (2003): 16.9 | |||
| 12-month ideation (2005): 16.9 | |||
| 12-month plans (1991): 18.6 | |||
| 12-month plans (1993): 19.0 | |||
| 12-month plans (1995): 17.7 | |||
| 12-month plans (1997): 15.7 | |||
| 12-month plans (1999): 14.5 | |||
| 12-month plans (2001): 14.8 | |||
| 12-month plans (2003): 16.5 | |||
| 12-month plans (2005): 13.0 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1991): 7.3 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1993): 8.6 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1995): 8.7 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1997): 7.7 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1999): 8.3 | |||
| 12-month attempts (2001): 8.8 | |||
| 12-month attempts (2003): 8.5 | |||
| 12-month attempts (2005): 8.4 | |||
| King et al., 2001 (216) | Four geographically and ethnically diverse regions (Connecticut, Georgia, New York, and Puerto Rico) | 1,285 adolescents (9–17 years) | 6-month ideation (among persons with no lifetime attempts): 5.2* |
| 6-month attempts: 3.3* | |||
| International studies—adults (n = 26) | |||
| Statham et al., 1998 (63) | Australia, community (twin) sample | Adult twins (women, 27–89 years; men, 28–85 years) from an Australian twin panel first surveyed in 1980–1982 (n = 5,995) | Lifetime ideation (males): 23.8 |
| Lifetime ideation (females): 22.2 | |||
| Lifetime plans (males): 5.7 | |||
| Lifetime plans (females): 6.2 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (males): 1.7 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (females): 3.0 | |||
| Kebede et al., 1999 (217) | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, nationally representative sample | 10,203 adults (≥15 years) | Lifetime attempts: 0.9 |
| Current ideation: 2.7* | |||
| Akyuz et al., 2005 (218) | Central Turkey, nationally representative sample | 628 women (18–65 years) | Lifetime attempts: 4.5 |
| Kjoller and Helweg-Larsen, 2000 (219) | Denmark, nationally representative sample | 1,362 adults (≥16 years) | Lifetime attempts: 3.4 |
| 12-month ideation: 6.9 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 0.5 | |||
| Ramberg and Wasserman, 2000 (220) | Stockholm, Sweden, general population and mental health-care staff | 1,010 mental health-care staff (19–64 years); 8,171 persons from the general population (20–64 years) | Lifetime ideation (mental health-care staff): 42.8* |
| Lifetime ideation (general population): 20.3 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (mental health-care staff): 4.8* | |||
| Lifetime attempts (general population): 3.6 | |||
| 12-month ideation (mental health-care staff): 7.7* | |||
| 12-month ideation (general population): 7.3 | |||
| 12-month attempts (mental health-care staff): 0.2* | |||
| 12-month attempts (general population): 0.4 | |||
| Renberg, 2001 (221) | Northern Sweden, general population | 521 adults (18–65 years) from 1986; 636 adults (18–65 years) from 1996 | Lifetime ideation (1986): 33.3 |
| Lifetime ideation (1996): 21.1 | |||
| Lifetime plans (1986): 10.4 | |||
| Lifetime plans (1996): 13.1 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (1986): 2.6 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (1996): 2.7 | |||
| 12-month ideation (1986): 12.5 | |||
| 12-month ideation (1996): 8.6 | |||
| 12-month plans (1986): 4.2 | |||
| 12-month plans (1996): 4.1 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1986): 0.6 | |||
| 12-month attempts (1996): 0.2 | |||
| Rancans et al., 2003 (222) | Latvia, general population | 667 adults (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 33.0 |
| Lifetime plans: 19.5 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 5.1 | |||
| 12-month ideation: 21.3 | |||
| 12-month plans: 12.2 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 1.8 | |||
| Crawford et al., 2005 (223) | England | 4,171 adults (16–74 years) among representative samples of White, Irish, Black Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani ethnic groups | Lifetime ideation: 10 |
| Lifetime attempts: 3 | |||
| De Leo et al., 2005 (224) | Queensland, Australia, nationally representative sample | 11,572 adults (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 10.4 |
| Lifetime plans: 4.4 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 4.2 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 0.4 | |||
| Mohammadi et al., 2005 (225) | Iran, general population | 25,180 adults (26–55 years) | Lifetime attempts: 1.4 |
| Agoub et al., 2006 (226) | Casablanca, Morocco, sample representative of urban general population | 800 adults (≥15 years) | Lifetime attempts: 2.1 |
| 1-month plans: 1.0* | |||
| 1-month attempts: 0.8* | |||
| Beautrais et al., 2006 (227) | New Zealand, nationally representative sample | 12,992 adults (≥16 years) | Lifetime ideation: 15.7 |
| Lifetime plans: 5.5 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 4.5 | |||
| 12-month ideation: 3.2 | |||
| 12-month plans: 1.0 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 0.4 | |||
| Liu et al., 2006 (228) | Hong Kong, territory-specific representation | 2,015 adults (20–59 years) | Lifetime ideation: 28.1 |
| 12-month ideation: 6.0 | |||
| 12-month plans: 1.9 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 1.4 | |||
| Ovuga et al., 2006 (229) | Makerere University, Uganda | 101 older students (23.5 years (SD†, 5.0)) and 253 younger students (21.3 years (SD, 2.4)) | Lifetime ideation (older students): 8.9 |
| Lifetime ideation (younger students): 56.0 | |||
| Tran Thi Thanh et al., 2006 (230) | Dongda district, Hanoi, Vietnam, general population | 2,260 adults (≥14 years) | Lifetime ideation: 8.9 |
| Lifetime plans: 1.1 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 0.4 | |||
| 12-month ideation: 3.3 | |||
| 12-month plans: 0.5 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 0.1 | |||
| Bernal et al., 2007 (231) | Six European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, and Spain), all nationally representative samples | 8,796 adults (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 7.8 |
| Lifetime attempts: 1.3 | |||
| Bromet et al., 2007 (232) | Ukraine, nationally representative samples | 4,719 adults (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 8.2 |
| Lifetime plans: 2.7 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 1.8 | |||
| 12-month ideation: 1.8 | |||
| Gureje et al., 2007 (233) | 21 out of 36 states of Nigeria | 6,752 adults (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 3.2 |
| Lifetime plans: 1.0 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 0.7 | |||
| Lee et al., 2007 (234) | Beijing and Shanghai, China, general population | 5,201 adults (≥18 years) | Lifetime ideation: 3.1 |
| Lifetime plans: 0.9 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 1.0 | |||
| Nojomi et al., 2007 (235) | Karaj City, Tehran Province, Iran | 2,300 adults (including as early as 15 years), attempt rate from pilot study | Lifetime attempts: 1.2 |
| Borges et al., 2008 (236) | Mexico, nationally representative sample | 5,782 adults | Lifetime ideation: 8.1 |
| Lifetime plans: 3.2 | |||
| Lifetime attempts: 2.7 | |||
| Hintikka et al., 1998 (237) | Finland, general population | 4,868 adults | 12-month ideation (females): 2.4 |
| 12-month ideation (males): 2.3 | |||
| Scocco and De Leo, 2002 (43) | Padua, Italy, community-dwelling elderly population | 611 older adults (≥65 years) | 12-month ideation: 9.5 |
| 12-month attempts: 3.8 | |||
| Gunnell et al., 2004 (238) | United Kingdom, nationally representative sample | 2,404 adults (16–74 years) | 12-month ideation: 2.3 |
| Fairweather et al., 2007 (239) | Australia | 7,485 adults (cohorts of 20–24, 40–44, and 60–64 years) | 12-month ideation: 8.2 |
| De Leo et al., 2001 (60) | Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Hungary | 1,518 older persons (≥65 years) | Monitoring period of 3–5 years, at least one attempt: 0.06* |
| International studies—adolescents (n = 20) | |||
| Olsson and von Knorring, 1999 (240) | Sweden (one town) | 2,300 adolescents (16–17 years) | Lifetime attempts: 2.4 |
| Elklit, 2002 (241) | Denmark, nationally representative sample | 390 eighth-graders (mean age = 14.5 years) | Lifetime attempts: 6.2 |
| Blum et al., 2003 (152) | Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and St. Lucia | 15,695 adolescents (10–18 years) | Lifetime attempts: 12.1 |
| Gmitrowicz et al., 2003 (242) | Lodz, Poland, community population | 1,663 adolescents (14–21 years) | Lifetime ideation: 30.8 |
| Lifetime attempts: 7.9 | |||
| Toros et al., 2004 (243) | Turkey | 4,143 children and adolescents (10–20 years) | Lifetime attempts: 1.9 |
| Zemaitiene and Zaborskis, 2005 (244) | Lithuania, nationally representative sample | 15,586 children (11, 13, and 15 years) | Lifetime plans: 3.0 |
| Lifetime attempts: 1.5 | |||
| Young et al., 2006 (245) | Central Clydeside Conurbation, Scotland, community population | 1,258 older adolescents (19 years) | Lifetime attempts: 6.4 |
| Sidhartha and Jena, 2006 (246) | New Delhi, India, student population | 1,205 adolescents (12–19 years) | Lifetime ideation: 21.7 |
| Lifetime attempts: 8.0 | |||
| 12-month ideation: 11.7 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 3.5 | |||
| Dervic et al., 2007 (247) | Vienna, Austria, student population | 214 adolescents (15.6 years (SD, 1.4)) | Lifetime ideation: 37.9 |
| Silviken and Kvernmo, 2007 (248) | Arctic Norway, representative samples of different ethnic groups | 591 indigenous Sami adolescents and 2,100 majority adolescents (16–18 years) | Lifetime attempts: 9.5 |
| 6-month ideation: 15.1* | |||
| Rey Gex et al., 1998 (249) | Switzerland, nationally representative sample | 9,268 adolescents (15–20 years) | 12-month ideation: 26 |
| 12-month plans: 15 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 3 | |||
| Tousignant et al., 1999 (250) | Canadian sample of refugees from 35 countries | 203 adolescents (13–19 years) | 12-month attempts: 3.4 |
| Miauton et al., 2003 (251) | Switzerland, nationally representative sample | 9,268 adolescents (15–19 years) | 12-month attempts: 3.0 |
| Yip et al., 2004 (252) | Hong Kong, territory-specific representation | 2,586 adolescents (13–21 years) | 12-month ideation: 17.8 |
| 12-month plans: 5.4 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 8.4 | |||
| Rodriguez et al., 2006 (253) | Nicaragua, general population | 278 adolescents (15–24 years) | 12-month ideation: 19.8 |
| 12-month plans: 5.0 | |||
| 12-month attempts: 1.8 | |||
| Rudatsikira et al., 2007 (254) | Guyana, student population | 1,197 adolescents (<14–≥16 years) | 12-month ideation: 18.4 |
| Kaltiala-Heino et al., 1999 (255) | Two regions of Finland, student population | 16,410 adolescents (14–16 years) | Current ideation: 2.2* |
| Khokher et al., 2005 (256) | Karachi, Pakistan, medical student population | 217 medical students (19–22 years) | Recent ideation: 31.3* |
| Liu et al., 2005 (257) | Shandong, China (five high schools) | 1,362 adolescents (12–18 years) | 6-month ideation: 19.3* |
| 6-month attempts: 7.0* | |||
| Ponizovsky et al., 1999 (258) | Israel, immigrant population | 406 Russian-born Jewish immigrants to Israel (11–18 years); 203 indigenous Jewish adolescents in Russia; 104 Indigenous Jewish adolescents in Israel | 6-month ideation (immigrants): 10.9* |
| 6-month ideation (Russian natives): 3.5* | |||
| 6-month ideation (Israeli natives): 8.7* | |||
| Cross-national studies (n = 3) | |||
| Weissman et al., 1999 (26) | Nine countries, varying designs and surveys | Approximately 40,000 adults | Lifetime ideation (range): 2.1–18.5 |
| Lifetime attempts (range): 0.7–5.9 | |||
| Bertolote et al., 2005 (27) | 10 countries, same community-based survey in 10 hospital catchment areas | 69,797 children, adolescents, and adults (≥5 years) | Lifetime ideation (range): 2.6–25.4 |
| Lifetime plans (range): 1.1–15.6 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (range): 0.4–4.2 | |||
| Nock et al., 2008 (25) | 17 countries, same household survey; most samples were nationally representative | 84,850 adults | Lifetime ideation (range): 3.0–15.9 |
| Lifetime plans (range): 0.7–5.6 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (range): 0.5–5.0 | |||
| Lifetime ideation (pooled): 9.2 | |||
| Lifetime plans (pooled): 3.1 | |||
| Lifetime attempts (pooled): 2.7 | |||
*
Not included in prevalence estimates in text because of differences in measurement.
†
SD, standard deviation.