This annual statistical publication presents and summarises suicide information received from the New Zealand Mortality Collection, and admissions to hospital for intentional self-harm sourced from the New Zealand National Minimum Dataset.
Key facts from the publication are:
- There were 497 deaths from suicide and 2465 hospitalisations (excluding where the patient was discharged from the emergency department and stayed less than 48 hours) for intentional self-harm in 2008.
- The suicide rate of 11.2 deaths per 100,000 population, although slightly higher than in 2007, is significantly lower (by 25.6 percent) since the peak rate in 1998.
- Intentional self-harm hospitalisations have declined significantly (by 32.2 percent) since 1996.
- Male suicide rates were almost three times the female suicide rates in 2008, and female hospitalisations involving intentional self-harm were almost twice those for males.
- The Māori suicide rate (13.3 per 100,000 Māori population) in 2008 was higher than the non-Māori suicide rate (10.6 per 100,000 population), but the difference was not statistically significant.
- Suicide rates for those in the most deprived socioeconomic quintile (quintile 5) were significantly higher than for those in quintile 1.
- In 2008, the rate of suicide amongst youth (aged 15-24) decreased by 35.4 percent since the peak in 1995. However, the female youth suicide rate of 11.1 per 100,000 population was the highest since 1999.