Since the 1950s, the suicide rate in the United States has been significantly higher among men than women. In 2022, the suicide rate among men was almost four times higher than that of women. However, the rate of suicide for both men and women has increased gradually over the past couple of decades. Facts on suicide in the United States In 2022, the rate of suicide death in the United States was around 14 per 100,000 population. The suicide rate in the U.S. has generally increased since the year 2000, with the highest rates ever recorded in the years 2018 and 2022. In the United States, death rates from suicide are highest among those aged 45 to 64 years and lowest among younger adults aged 15 to 24. The states with the highest rates of suicide are Montana, Alaska, and Wyoming, while New Jersey and Massachusetts have the lowest rates. Suicide among men In 2023, around 4.5 percent of men in the United States reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year. Although this rate is lower than that of women, men still have a higher rate of suicide death than women. One reason for this may have to do with the method of suicide. Although firearms account for the largest share of suicide deaths among both men and women, firearms account for almost 60 percent of all suicides among men and just 35 percent among women. Suffocation and poisoning are the other most common methods of suicide among women, with the chances of surviving a suicide attempt from these methods being much higher than surviving an attempt by firearm. The age group with the highest rate of suicide death among men is by far those aged 75 years and over.

BackgroundIn Europe, men have lower rates of attempted suicide compared to women and at the same time a higher rate of completed suicides, indicating major gender differences in lethality of suicidal behaviour. The aim of this study was to analyse the extent to which these gender differences in lethality can be explained by factors such as choice of more lethal methods or lethality differences within the same suicide method or age. In addition, we explored gender differences in the intentionality of suicide attempts.Methods and FindingsMethods. Design: Epidemiological study using a combination of self-report and official data. Setting: Mental health care services in four European countries: Germany, Hungary, Ireland, and Portugal. Data basis: Completed suicides derived from official statistics for each country (767 acts, 74.4% male) and assessed suicide attempts excluding habitual intentional self-harm (8,175 acts, 43.2% male).Main Outcome Measures and Data Analysis. We collected data on suicidal acts in eight regions of four European countries participating in the EU-funded “OSPI-Europe”-project (www.ospi-europe.com). We calculated method-specific lethality using the number of completed suicides per method * 100 / (number of completed suicides per method + number of attempted suicides per method). We tested gender differences in the distribution of suicidal acts for significance by using the χ2-test for two-by-two tables. We assessed the effect sizes with phi coefficients (φ). We identified predictors of lethality with a binary logistic regression analysis. Poisson regression analysis examined the contribution of choice of methods and method-specific lethality to gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts.Findings Main ResultsSuicidal acts (fatal and non-fatal) were 3.4 times more lethal in men than in women (lethality 13.91% (regarding 4106 suicidal acts) versus 4.05% (regarding 4836 suicidal acts)), the difference being significant for the methods hanging, jumping, moving objects, sharp objects and poisoning by substances other than drugs. Median age at time of suicidal behaviour (35–44 years) did not differ between males and females. The overall gender difference in lethality of suicidal behaviour was explained by males choosing more lethal suicide methods (odds ratio (OR) = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.65 to 2.50; p < 0.000001) and additionally, but to a lesser degree, by a higher lethality of suicidal acts for males even within the same method (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.32 to 2.02; p = 0.000005). Results of a regression analysis revealed neither age nor country differences were significant predictors for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. The proportion of serious suicide attempts among all non-fatal suicidal acts with known intentionality (NFSAi) was significantly higher in men (57.1%; 1,207 of 2,115 NFSAi) than in women (48.6%; 1,508 of 3,100 NFSAi) (χ2 = 35.74; p < 0.000001).Main limitations of the studyDue to restrictive data security regulations to ensure anonymity in Ireland, specific ages could not be provided because of the relatively low absolute numbers of suicide in the Irish intervention and control region. Therefore, analyses of the interaction between gender and age could only be conducted for three of the four countries. Attempted suicides were assessed for patients presenting to emergency departments or treated in hospitals. An unknown rate of attempted suicides remained undetected. This may have caused an overestimation of the lethality of certain methods. Moreover, the detection of attempted suicides and the registration of completed suicides might have differed across the four countries. Some suicides might be hidden and misclassified as undetermined deaths.ConclusionsMen more often used highly lethal methods in suicidal behaviour, but there was also a higher method-specific lethality which together explained the large gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts. Gender differences in the lethality of suicidal acts were fairly consistent across all four European countries examined. Males and females did not differ in age at time of suicidal behaviour. Suicide attempts by males were rated as being more serious independent of the method used, with the exceptions of attempted hanging, suggesting gender differences in intentionality associated with suicidal behaviour. These findings contribute to understanding of the spectrum of reasons for gender differences in the lethality of suicidal behaviour and should inform the development of gender specific strategies for suicide prevention.

In 2023, the rate of suicides among both men and women in England was at their highest recorded rates. The rate of among males was 17.4 per 100,000 population and among females it was 5.7 per 100,000. Recent years have seen an increase again for both genders, however, the rate of suicide for men has remained significantly higher than for women. Individuals seeking help for mental health issuesIn Great Britain, almost 70 percent have never visited a mental health professional, while eighteen percent consult with one at least once a year. Additionally, almost 60 percent of those with a psychiatric condition do not take any medication to control their condition. Mental health of young peopleThe COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact of the mental health of many people, particularly young people. The share of all adults reporting to having experienced symptoms of depression doubled during the pandemic compared to before. Although for those in the age group 16 to 39 years, depression prevalence tripled. Among young people that had mental health concerns prior to the pandemic, a significant majority of those surveyed reported that their life had become worse due to the impact of the pandemic and subsequent restrictions.

Men in Japan were more likely to commit suicide than women in Japan. With 22.9 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, the number of fatalities among men reached approximately 14,860 in 2024. Why is suicide more prevalent among men in Japan?  Japan's high suicide rates have been closely associated with the economic situation of the individuals. Existential worries and problems directly related to work are one of the main causes of self-inflicted deaths in Japan. Gender-based roles are still relevant in modern-day Japan, with women predominantly taking care of family and housekeeping, and men financially providing for their families. Despite changes in the perception of gender roles lately, it appears that economic pressure is more prevalent among men in Japan. Failure to meet social expectations may result in a higher likelihood of experiencing mental health issues, which may ultimately lead to suicidal ideation. The impact of COVID-19 on female suicides Women were seemingly more affected than men during the coronavirus outbreak in Japan. The reasons were complex. For one, women who were victims of domestic violence were forced to spend more time at home with their abuser. Additionally, industries hit the hardest by the pandemic were those staffed predominantly by women, such as the hospitality, retail, and caregiving sectors. Japan is undergoing a demographic change and rapidly shifting into a solo society, which resulted in more single women supporting themselves. As irregular employment is more common among female than male workers, independent women were more likely to face precarious financial situations. Overall, women in Japan presumably felt the negative effects of the pandemic more severely and in more aspects of their daily lives compared to men.

South Korea currently has the highest overall suicide rate among OECD countries worldwide. The suicide rate among women in South Korea is significantly higher than that of women in any other country. Nevertheless, suicide is commonly more prevalent among men than women. Suicide in the U.S. The suicide rate in the United States has risen since the year 2000. As of 2023, there were around **** deaths from suicide per 100,000 population. The suicide rate among men in the U.S. is over ***** times what it is for females, a considerable and troubling difference. The suicide rate among men increases with age, with the highest rates found among men aged 75 years and older. Adolescent suicide Adolescent suicide is always a serious and difficult topic. A recent survey found that around ** percent of female high school students in the United States had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, compared to ** percent of male students. On average, there are around ** suicide deaths among adolescents per 100,000 population in the United States. The states with the highest rates of adolescent suicide include New Mexico, Idaho, and Oklahoma.

In 2023, there were around **** deaths from suicide per 100,000 population among males in the U.S. aged ** years and *****. Males aged 75 years and older were more likely to die from suicide than any other age group for both males and females. The suicide death rate for males in general is constantly greater than that for females. Suicide method by gender Not only do suicide rates differ by gender, but the method of suicide varies as well. Suicide by firearm accounts for ** percent of suicides among males, but only ** percent of those among females. However, suicide by poisoning accounts for a much larger share of suicides among females than males. In 2019, there were a total of ****** firearm suicides and ***** poisoning suicides. Substance abuse, mental health, and suicide Those who suffer from substance abuse and certain mental health disorders are at a much greater risk of falling victim to suicide. It’s been found that around ** percent of those with drug or alcohol dependence or abuse had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, compared to just ***** percent of those with no such substance dependence of abuse. Similarly, around *** percent of those with a major depressive episode in the past year had attempted suicide, while only *** percent of those without a major depressive episode had done so.

Number of suicides and suicide rates by sex and age in England and Wales. Includes information on conclusion type, the proportion of suicides by method, and the median registration delay.

Impact of Social Media on Suicide Rates: Produced Results

Overview

This dataset explores the impact of social media usage on suicide rates, presenting an analysis based on social media platform data and WHO suicide rate statistics. It is an insightful resource for researchers, data scientists, and analysts looking to understand the correlation between increased social media activity and suicide rates across different regions and demographics.

Content

The dataset includes the following key sources:

WHO Suicide Rate Data (SDGSUICIDE): Retrieved from WHO data export, which tracks global suicide rates. Social Media Usage Data: Information from major social media platforms, sourced from Kaggle, supplemented with data from:

Facebook: Statista

Twitter: Twitter Investor Relations

Instagram: Facebook Investor Relations

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge:

World Health Organization (WHO): For providing global suicide rate data, accessible under their data policy (WHO Data Policy). Kaggle Dataset Contributors: For social media usage data that played a crucial role in the analysis.

Usage

This dataset is useful for studying the potential social factors contributing to suicide rates, especially the role of social media. Analysts can explore correlations using time-series analysis, regression models, or other statistical tools to derive meaningful insights. Please ensure compliance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Data Files

Impact-of-social-media-on-suicide-rates-results-1.1.0.zip (90.9 kB) Contains processed results and supplementary data.

Citations

If you use this dataset in your work, please cite:

Martin Winkler. (2021). Impact of social media on suicide rates: produced results (1.1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4701587 https://zenodo.org/records/4701587

License

This dataset is released under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. You are free to share and adapt the material, provided proper attribution is given, it's not used for commercial purposes, and any derivatives are distributed under the same license.

Columns

Year: The year of the recorded data. Sex: Demographic indicator (e.g., male, female). Suicide Rate % Change Since 2010: Percentage change in suicide rates compared to the year 2010. Twitter User Count % Change Since 2010: Percentage change in Twitter user counts compared to the year 2010. Facebook User Count % Change Since 2010: Percentage change in Facebook user counts compared to the year 2010.

Data Bins

The dataset includes categorized data ranges, allowing for analysis of trends within specified intervals. For example, ranges for suicide rates, Twitter user counts, and Facebook user counts are represented in bins for better granularity.

Count Summary

The dataset summarizes counts for various intervals, enabling researchers to identify trends and patterns over time, highlighting periods of significant change or stability in both suicide rates and social media usage.

Use Cases

This dataset can be used for:

Statistical analysis to understand correlations between social media usage and mental health outcomes. Academic research focused on public health, psychology, or sociology. Policy-making discussions aimed at addressing mental health concerns linked to social media.

Cautions

The dataset contains sensitive information regarding suicide rates. Users should handle this data with care and sensitivity, considering ethical implications when presenting findings.

In 2023, there were about **** male and **** female deaths by suicide per 100,000 population in South Korea. The suicide rate for men was more than double the rate for women. South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

State-wise Suicides by Profession in India

Investigating National Level Trends and Patterns

By Rajanand Ilangovan [source]

About this dataset

This dataset contains data on suicides in India by state, year, profession and gender. Through this dataset, we can gain an understanding of the factors that influence suicide rates across different states, professions and genders. By examining this data we can better understand how to reduce these tragedies in India which are of great concern to citizens, families and the government alike. The columns include the State in India where the suicides occurred; Year in which the suicides occurred; Type_code of the profession of the person who committed suicide; Gender of the person who committed suicide; Age_group of such person; and Total number of suicides for a given State-Year-Typecode-Type-Gender-Agegroup combination. With this insightful data set at our disposal, we can gather valuable insights into why certain types people are more likely to take their own lives than others and look for solutions which would have meaningful implications for society at large

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How to use the dataset

This dataset contains information about the number of suicides in India by state, year, type of profession, gender, and age group. It is an important resource for understanding the trends and patterns in suicides in India. This guide will explain how to use this dataset to gain insights into suicide rates across India.

Exploring the Data

The first step to exploring this data is to examine its structure. There are 8 columns that contain information about each suicide: State (the Indian state where the suicide occurred), Year (the year of occurrence), Type_code (the code for the type of profession or activity engaged in at time of death), Gender (male or female), Age_group (groups based on age-range), Total (total number of suicides for given state/year/type_code/type/gender/age group). In addition, there are other useful descriptive stats such as aggregate totals by year and aggregate totals by state as well as null values indicating missing data points that should be accounted for during analysis.

Analyzing Trends

Once you have a good understanding of the data structure, you can begin analyzing it for patterns and trends. You can look at overall trends across all states or focus on individual states to see if certain decades witness higher suicide rates than others due to specific socioeconomic factors within those states. Similarly, you may identify distinct patterns when examining activity related causes across genders or age groups both generally and within individual states – e.g., self-immolation witnessed significantly more amongst females than males within a given decade etc.. Alternatively you could find out what types occupations had higher incidences during certain years thus ruling out otherwise unlikely ways people chose ‘suicide’!

Finally it may also be useful window shop; use this data set as research material before further framing hypotheses related too changes over time i historical events that directly caused shifts in societal norms like wars / pandemics etc.. And then corroborate results against timelines ascertained through secondary sources such newspapers / anecdotal reports or primary sources like census records summaries published by official agencies etc.. As a index towards which other activities were attempted within scope!

Overall these analyses can help policy makers understand better how best resources can be allocated while developing interventions aimed at reducing suicidal tendencies amongst different demographic segments including males & females , adolescents & elderly people respectively!

Research Ideas

• Analyzing trends in suicides across different states in India over time to identify regional disparities and support the implementation of targeted policies and interventions.
• Mapping out the suicide hotspots across age groups, genders, and profession types to better target prevention efforts in those areas.
• Examining differences by profession type among populations with higher suicide rates in order to suggest preventative measures or resources tailored specifically for such populations

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors. Data Source

License

See the dataset description for more information.

Columns

File: Suicides_in_India.csv | Column name | Description ...

This dataset contains annual suicide rates from 2000 to 2019 for various countries and regions around the world. The data was collected from the World Health Organization (WHO) Mortality Database, which provides information on deaths and mortality rates from various causes, including suicide. The dataset includes information on the country, location, year, sex, and suicide rates (with upper and lower bounds) for each year.

Variables:

ParentLocation: The name of the parent location, such as a region or subregion. Location: The name of the location, such as a country or territory. Period: The year the suicide rate was recorded. Sex: The gender of the individual (male or female). FactValueNumeric: The age-standardized suicide rate (per 100,000 population) for the given sex, age, and year. FactValueNumericLow: The lower bound of the confidence interval for the suicide rate. FactValueNumericHigh: The upper bound of the confidence interval for the suicide rate.

Potential uses:

This dataset can be used to explore patterns and trends in suicide rates over time and across different regions of the world. Researchers and policymakers can use this data to identify risk factors and develop interventions to prevent suicides. The dataset can also be used to investigate the impact of economic, social, and cultural factors on suicide rates.

Caveats:

It is important to note that suicide is a sensitive and complex issue, and the data in this dataset may be subject to reporting biases, cultural differences in suicide rates, and other limitations. Additionally, the dataset does not include information on the causes or circumstances surrounding the suicides. Therefore, any analyses based on this dataset should be interpreted with caution and with an understanding of the limitations of the data.

In Canada, the suicide rate among males has consistently been at least double that of females over the past two decades. In 2023, there were around 14.4 suicide deaths per 100,000 population among males in Canada, compared to a rate of 4.9 per 100,000 among females. This statistic shows the suicide death rate in Canada from 2000 to 2023, by gender.

Data from Heuer (1979) on suicide rates in West Germany classified by age, sex, and method of suicide.
A data frame with 306 observations and 6 variables.

As the tagline of ‘American Association of Suicidology’ says I strongly believe that suicide prevention is everyone’s business. The act of ending one’s own life stating the reasons to be depression, alcoholism or any other mental disorders for that matter is not a considerable idea keeping in mind that anything can be overcome with reliable help and lifestyle. We can choose to stand together in the face of a society which may often feel like a lonely and disconnected place, and we can choose to make a difference by making lives more livable for those who struggle to cope. Through this project, I am hoping to identify the trends of suicidal rates by country, gender, age and ethnicity. And relate the trends to the possible reasons that leads to the drastic decision, which might help us to curb the thought in the very beginning.

What's inside is more than just rows and columns. Make it easy for others to get started by describing how you acquired the data and what time period it represents, too. Data on suicides is deficient for two reasons, first of all, there is a problem with the frequency and reliability of vital registration data in many countries – an issue that undermine the quality of mortality estimates in general, not just suicide. Secondly, there are problems with the accuracy of the official figures made available, since suicide registration is a complicated process involving several responsible authorities with medical and legal concerns. Moreover, the illegality of suicidal behavior in some countries contributes to under reporting and misclassification. I was lucky enough to obtain enough data from different reliable resources. I will be starting off the project with the most reliable datasets available for us on suicide.

•World Health Organization (WHO) dataset which contains entity wise suicide rates, crude suicide rates per gender and country which are age standardized which has a geographical coverage of 198 countries. The time spanning from 1950-2011.

•Samaritans statistics report 2017 including data for 2013-2015, in order to reduce the time, it takes to register deaths, the maximum time between a death and registration is eight days.

•American Association of Suicidology facts and statistics which are categorized by age, gender, region and ethnicity.

Inspiration: To visualize the trends and patterns by merging different datasets available regarding the subject matter from different organizations, deriving the major causes for the drastic stride. And also observing the changes in patterns over the years by country, sex and ethnicity

Understanding the data: It is always tricky to understand the suicide statistics as they may not be so straight forward as they appear to be. Generally, the rate is per 100,000. It is done this way to adjust the underlying population size. ‘Age-standardized’ rates have been standardized to the world population to increase the confidence while making the comparisons. On the other hand, ‘Crude rates’ have not been standardized like the prior, so they are just the basic calculation of number of deaths divided by the population (x100,000). The size of the population and specific cohort is also to be taken into account as smaller groups often produce less reliable rates per 100,000. When examining the suicide trends over a period of time it is also important to look over a relatively long period. Increases and decreases for a year at a time should not be considered in isolation.

Among men in the United States, those aged 75 years and older have the highest death rate from suicide among all age groups. In 2023, the suicide death rate among men aged 75 years and older was 40.7 per 100,000 population. In comparison, the death rate from suicide among men aged 25 to 44 years was 29.8 per 100,000. Suicide is a significant problem in the United States, with rates increasing over the past decade. Suicide among men In the United States, the suicide rate among men is almost four times higher than that of women. In 2022, the rate of suicide among U.S. men was 23 per 100,000 population, the highest rate recorded over the past 70 years. Firearms account for the vast majority of suicide deaths among men, accounting for around 60 percent of male suicides in 2021. The reasons why U.S. men have higher rates of suicide than women are complex and not fully understood, but may have to do with the more violent means by which men carry out suicide and the stigma around seeking help for mental health issues. Suicide among women Although the suicide rate among women in the U.S. is significantly lower than that of men, the rate of suicide among women has increased over the past couple of decades. Among women, those aged 45 to 64 years have the highest death rates due to suicide, followed by women 25 to 44 years old. Interestingly, the share of women reporting serious thoughts of suicide in the past year is higher than that of men, with around 5.5 percent of U.S. women reporting such thoughts in 2023. Similarly to men, firearms account for most suicide deaths among women, however suffocation and poisoning account for a significant share of suicides among women. In 2021, around 35 percent of suicides among women were carried out by firearms, while suffocation and poisoning each accounted for around 28 percent of suicide deaths.

Age-adjusted rate of suicide deaths for Santa Clara County residents. The data are provided for the total county population and by sex and race/ethnicity. Data trends are presented from 2007 to 2016. Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department, VRBIS, 2007-2016. Data as of 05/26/2017; U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census.METADATA:Notes (String): Lists table title, notes and sourceYear (String): Year of death Category (String): Lists the category representing the data: Santa Clara County is for total population, sex: Male and Female, race/ethnicity: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino and White (non-Hispanic White only) and Asian/Pacific Islander subgroups: Asian Indian, Chinese. Filipino, Korean and Vietnamese.Age adjusted rate per 100,000 people (Numeric): The Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases codes (ICD-10) are used for coding causes of death. Age-adjusted rate is calculated using 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Suicide rate is number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 people in the same time period.

For a summary of the case study, please go to "Portfolio Project".

Context

This data analysis was meant to show that men have their own issues in society that are being ignored. The mental health has been declining especially for men. This decline worldwide maybe due to a multitude of other variables that may correlate such as: internet usage/social media usage, social belonging, work hours, dating apps, and physical health. This data analysis was meant to show that men have their own issues in society that are being ignored. This decline worldwide maybe due to a multitude of other variables that may correlate such as: internet usage/social media usage, social belonging, work hours, dating apps, and physical health. These variables may require a separate dataset going into more detail about them.

A space dedicated just for men and another just for women to speak about their problems with help and constructive criticism for growth and for social belonging maybe required to improve the mental health of society (among other variables). This does not mean that the struggles of women are nonexistent. There are already a multitude of datasets and articles dedicated to some of the possible struggles of women from MSNBC, CNN, NBC, BBC, Netflix movies, and even popular secular music like recent songs WAP from Megan Thee Stallion, God is a Women by Arianna Grande, etc. This dataset's objective was not made to continue to light a flame between the already hostile relationships that modern men and women have with each other. Awareness without bias is the goal.

For the results, please read the portfolio project and leave comments.

Content

Where the data were obtained:

1. The first excel file was obtained from https://data.world/vizzup/mental-health-depression-disorder-data/workspace/file?filename=Mental+health+Depression+disorder+Data.xlsx

2. The second excel file was obtained from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/male-vs-female-suicide

3. The third excel file was obtained from https://ourworldindata.org/suicide

4. The fourth excel file was obtained from https://ourworldindata.org/drug-use

Inspiration

I want to be the best data analyst ever, so criticism (regardless of the harshness), it will be greatly appreciated. What would you have added/improved on? Was it easy to understand? What else do you want me to make a dataset on?

Background: Despite most suicides occurring in low-and-middle-income countries (LAMICs), limited reports on suicide rates in older adults among LAMICs are available. In Ecuador, high suicide rates have been reported among adolescents. Little is known about the epidemiology of suicides among older adults in Ecuador.Aim: To examine the sociodemographic characteristics of suicides among older adults living in Ecuador from 1997 to 2019.Methods: An observational study was conducted using Ecuador's National Institute of Census and Statistics database from 1997 to 2019 in Ecuadorians aged 60 and older. International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) (X60-X84)-reported suicide deaths were included in addition to deaths of events of undetermined intent (Y21-Y33). Sex, age, ethnicity, educational level, and method of suicide were analyzed. Annual suicide rates were calculated per 100,000 by age, sex, and method. To examine the trends in rates of suicide, Joinpoint analysis using Poisson log-linear regression was used.Results: Suicide rates of female older adults remained relatively stable between 1997 and 2019 with an average annual percentage increase of 2.4%, while the male rates increased between 2002 and 2009, 2014 and 2016, and maintained relatively stable within the past 3 years (2017–2019). The annual age-adjusted male suicide rate was 29.8 per 100,000, while the female suicide rate was 5.26 per 100,000 during the study period. When adding deaths of undetermined intent, the annual male rate was 60.5 per 100,000, while the same rate was 14.3 for women. The most common suicide method was hanging (55.7%) followed by self-poisoning (26.0%). The highest suicide numbers were reported in urban districts, men, and those with lower education status.Conclusion: This study contributes to building the baseline for further studies on suicide rates of older adults in Ecuador. Results highlight priority areas of suicide prevention. By examining suicide trends over 23 years, findings can help inform policy and future interventions targeting suicide prevention.

BackgroundClimate change is reshaping public health, introducing extreme weather conditions and environmental stressors—such as high temperatures, atmospheric pollution, desertification, and storms (rain, thunder, and hail)—that critically impact mental health. Evidence increasingly links these factors to higher rates of suicide-related outcomes, including suicidal ideation, attempts, and self-harm. Such interactions underscore the importance of understanding how climate-driven mental health risks vary by environmental factor and gender, as gender-specific vulnerabilities shape responses to climate stressors.MethodsBy April 16, 2024, we conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, Scopus, ProQuest, and Embase. Two researchers independently reviewed studies and collected demographic data, systematically tracking and recording rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide deaths, self-harm, and anxiety. Data were rigorously cross-verified for accuracy and consistency.ResultsThe meta-analysis demonstrated significant associations between climate change variables and mental health outcomes. High temperatures and air pollution were linked to increased suicide attempts (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.34–1.45) and suicide deaths (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.44–1.58), particularly among males. Conversely, atmospheric pollution and desertification correlated with a reduced likelihood of suicidal ideation (OR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.63–0.85). These findings highlight gender-specific mental health impacts, with females exhibiting higher rates of anxiety and self-harm, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions addressing climate-induced mental health risks.ConclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis reveal significant gender-specific mental health impacts of climate change, with females experiencing higher rates of anxiety, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, while males show greater incidences of suicide attempts and deaths. These findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted interventions and the integration of mental health services into climate policies to address these gender disparities.Systematic review registrationThis study is registered with PROSPERO [PROSPERO (york.ac.uk)] under the identifier [CRD42024534961].