Suicide Deaths in BC

Transcription

1 Suicide Deaths in BC This report summarizes all deaths classified as suicide between January 1, 2006 and December 31, This includes cases that have been completed and those still under investigation. Suicide is defined as death resulting from self-inflicted injury, with the intent to cause death. The BCCS operates in a live database environment. The data are considered preliminary until all investigations have been completed. Data are subject to change, and are not directly comparable to published counts from previous years. The 2014 to 2016 may have been impacted by change in classification policy, see p. 7 for a description of that change. Summary There were 599 suicides in 2016, down from 615 in 2015 (a 2.6% decrease) marks the second consecutive year where suicide deaths have declined from the previous year. Note that the 2016 numbers are subject to change as coroner s investigations are concluded for this year. In 2016, 53% of those dying by suicide were aged 40 to 69. The highest suicide death rates were among and 80+ year olds (17.4 per 100,000 people). Males accounted for 74% of suicide deaths in The three most common means of suicide death in 2016 are by hanging, poisoning and fire arm. The three townships experiencing the highest number of suicides in 2016 are Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria. Fraser and Interior Health Authority have had the highest number of suicide deaths (171 and 134 deaths, respectively) in 2016, making up 51% of all suicide deaths during this period. Northern Health Authority has the highest rate of suicide deaths (20 deaths per 100,000 individuals) followed by Interior Health Authority (18 deaths per 100,000 individuals) in Overall, the rate of suicide deaths in BC was 13 deaths per 100,000 individuals in Rates of suicide deaths are highest in Northwest, North Vancouver, Okanagan, Northeast, and East Kootenay Health Services Delivery Areas. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General Posting Date June 13, 2018 BC Coroners Service Page 1 of 7

2 15.0 Suicide Death Rate per 100,000 Population*, * Population estimates obtained from BCStats, Suicide Deaths in BC by Gender, Female Male Suicide Deaths in BC, Child & Youth, Child (<19) Adult (19+) Suicide Deaths in BC by Age Group, Unknown Page 2 of 9

3 Age-Specific Suicide Death Rates per 100,000, Total Suicide Deaths by Age Group and Gender, Female Male Page 3 of 9

4 Suicide Deaths in BC by Month of Death, January February March April May June July August September October November December Means of Suicide Deaths in BC, Hanging Poisoning (Alcohol/ Drugs/Other) Fire Arms Fall CO Poisoning Suffocation Stabbing/Incised Injuries Drowning Motor Vehicle Railway Fire SkyTrain Exposure: Cold Electrical Other Means Still Under investigation Page 4 of 9

5 Suicide Deaths by Top 10 Townships of Injury, * Township Vancouver Surrey Victoria Kelowna Burnaby Chilliwack Abbotsford Coquitlam Langley North Vancouver Other Townships *Sorted by 2016 totals Suicide Deaths in BC by Health Authority of Injury, year of death Interior Fraser Vancouver Coastal Vancouver Northern Out of Province Page 5 of 9

6 Rate of Suicide Deaths in BC by Health Authority of Injury per 100,000 persons, Interior Fraser Vancouver Coastal Vancouver Northern Total Rate of Suicide Deaths in BC by Health Authority, Rate per 100, Interior Fraser Vancouver Coastal Vancouver Northern Page 6 of 9

7 Suicide Deaths in BC by Health Services Delivery Area of Injury, East Kootenay Kootenay Boundary Okanagan Thompson Cariboo Fraser East Fraser North Fraser South Richmond Vancouver North Shore/Coast Garibaldi South Vancouver Central Vancouver North Vancouver Northwest Northern Interior Northeast Out of Province Page 7 of 9

8 Rate of Suicide Deaths in BC by Health Services Delivery Area of Injury per 100,000 persons, East Kootenay Kootenay Boundary Okanagan Thompson Cariboo Fraser East Fraser North Fraser South Richmond Vancouver North Shore/Coast Garibaldi South Vancouver Central Vancouver North Vancouver Northwest Northern Interior Northeast Total Page 8 of 9

9 Notes: 1. Following a policy review, a change was implemented in September 2014, with respect to the determination of suicide. Consistent with the Supreme Court of Canada s decision in F.H. v. Hugh McDougall, a finding of suicide is now made on a balance of probabilities, in that it is more likely than not, that the death was the result of intentional self-harm. Prior to September 2014, the determination of suicide was based on the test articulated in the 1992 Ontario Court of Appeal decision in Beckon v. Young, which required a higher degree of probability to classify a death as suicide. The suicide numbers may have been impacted by this policy change. 2. Population estimates were taken from: 3. Health Region breakdowns can be found at: 4. Death location was used in 5 cases of missing injury location. Page 9 of 9