Attempted Suicide in the Perth Statistical Division 1971–1972

Abstract

A study of attempted suicides in the Perth Statistical Division for 1971–72 has been presented. The average annual rate was 8.5 per 10,000 for males and 20.3 for females. There had been a doubling in rate since 1961, the increase being greater for females than males. Age standardised rates were greater than the Australian born for immigrant males but not for females. There were marked differences in rates between different individual immigrant groups of each sex. Data presented showed a higher rate in aborigines compared with nonaborigines, but many reservations were made regarding the validity of the aboriginal rates.