Sociodemographic characteristics and time series of mortality due to suicide among elderly individuals in Bahia State, Brazil, 1996-2013

Objective: to describe sociodemographic aspects and time evolution of mortality due to suicide among elderly individuals in Bahia State, Brazil, from 1996 to 2013. Methods: time series descriptive and ecological study, with data from the Mortality Information System (SIM); Prais-Winsten regression was used for trend analysis and to calculate annual percent change (APC). Results: 858 deaths due to suicide were identified in elderly in Bahia; 85.4% were men, and 53.8% were in the 60-69 age group; 64.3% of deaths resulted from hanging/strangulation, followed by self-poisoning by pesticides and chemical products (13.1%); there was an increasing trend in suicide mortality rate in the general elderly population (APC 11.0; 95% CI 6.9; 15.3) and in the male sex (APC 12.1; 95% CI 7.1; 17.3), whilst in the female population it remained stable. Conclusion: in Bahia, mortality due to suicide among elderly individuals presented an increasing trend in the period studied and was higher among males.