Seasonality of Suicide by Age, Sex and Methods: A Study from Temperate Region

Two thousand and twelve autopsy cases of suicide received from South Delhi during the 10-year period from January 1998 to December 2007 were studied at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Data was analysed with regard to the age, sex, methods of suicide, place of suicide and seasonal variations. There were 1265 male (62.9%) and 747 female (37.1%) victims. The highest daily mean number of suicide cases were reported in the month of April (n=208, 10.3%) followed by June (n=206, 10.2%) and the lowest number of cases were reported in the month of February (n=126, 6.3%).The maximum number of cases were reported in the spring & summer season (37.9%), followed by rainy (34.1%), and autumn and winter season (28.0%).The maximum number of suicides in both the sexes were seen in the age group of 21–30 years. Hanging by ligature was the commonest method of suicide, followed by self poisoning in both the sexes.