This study describes the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide in a representative survey among adults in Denmark and gives the proportion of people reporting a suicide attempt that results in contact with the health care system. The data for the 1994 Danish national health interview survey were collected by personal interview and a self-administered questionnaire. A subsample of 1362 individuals participated in the part of the survey that addressed suicidal behaviour (64% of the random sample). The results show that 6.9% reported having had suicidal thoughts within the past year. Averaging across all age groups the overall prevalence of people reporting ever having made a suicide attempt was 3.4% and the one-year prevalence was 0.5%. Suicidal ideation was more prevalent among young people than among older people, whereas ever-attempted suicide showed no age gradient. Both suicidal ideation and ever-attempted suicide were more prevalent among economically inactive people (e.g. unemployed) and among unmarried or divorced people. We estimate that 50-60% of suicide attempts reported in a representative, national survey become known to the healthcare system.
Meehan PJ, Lamb JA, Saltzman LE, O'Carroll PWAttempted suicide among young adults: progress toward a meaningful estimate of prevalence. Am J Psychiatry1992 ; 149: 41-4.
2.
Rossow I., Wichstrom L.Når nøden el sterst er hjelpen normest (Help and treatment after attempted suicide by adolescents). Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen1997; 117: 1740-3.
3.
Larsson B., Ivarsson T.Clinical characteristics of adolescent psychiatric inpatients who have attempted suicide. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry1998 ; 7: 201-8.
4.
Michel K., Runeson B., Valach L., Wasserman D.Contacts of suicide attempters with GPs prior to the event: a comparison between Stockholm and Bern. Acta Psychiatr Scand1997 ; 95: 94-9.
5.
Stenager EN, Jensen K.Attempted suicide and contact with the primary health authorities . Acta Psychiatr Scand1994; 90: 109-13.
6.
Gorman D., Masterton G.General practice consultation patterns before and after intentional overdose: a matched control study. Br J Gen Pract. 1990 ; 40: 102-5.
7.
Moscicki EKIdentification of suicide risk factors using epidemiologic studies . Psychiatr Clin North Am1997; 20: 499-517.
8.
Goldney RD, Winefield AH, Tiggemann M., Winefield HR, Smith S.Suicidal ideation in a young adult population. Acta Psychiatr Scand1989; 79: 481-9.
9.
The Danish Health and Morbidity Survey1994 (web side).<http://www.dike.dk/html/udgivel/engsusy/ engsusy.htm>: DICE1998.
10.
Kjøller M., Rasmussen NK, Keiding L. et al. Sundhed og sygelighed i Danmark 1994: -og udviklingen siden 1987. Rapport fra DIKEs representative undersøgelse blandt voksne danskere. (The Danish Health and Morbidity Survey 1994. A report from DICE's representative survey among adults in Denmark). Copenhagen: Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology (DICE), 1995 .
11.
Thoning H., Kjoller M., Rasmussen NKCharacteristics of the Nonrespondents to SF-36. Statistical report . Copenhagen: Danish Institute for Clinical Epidemiology (DICE), 1995.
12.
SAS® User's guide statistics, Version 5 edition. SAS Institute Inc. Cary: NC. SAS Institute Inc., 1985.
13.
Paykel ES, Myers JK, Lindenthal JJ, Tanner J.Suicidal feelings in the general population: a prevalence study. Br J Psychiatry1974; 124: 460-9.
14.
Salander-Renberg E, Jacobsson L, Beskow J et al. editors. Självmord i Sverige. En epidemiologisk översikt. (Suicide in Sweden. An epidemiological overview). Stockholm: Medicinska forskningsrådet. Forskningsrådsnämnden. Folksams vetenskapliga råd; 1993; 9, Självmordsbeteende och attityder till självmord i olika befolkningsgrupper. (Prevalence of suicide and attitudes towards suicide in various population groups), 121-35.
15.
Bjerke T., Svarra K., Stiles TCSelv-rapporterte suicidale tanker og handlinger blant studenter. (Self-reported suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among university students). Nordisk Psykologi1992; 44: 144-51.
16.
Vilhjalmsson R., Kristjansdottir G., Sveinbjarnardottir E.Factors associated with suicide ideation in adults. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol1998; 33: 97-103.
17.
Diekstra RF , Gulbinat W.The epidemiology of suicidal behaviour a review of three continents. World Health Stat Q1993 ; 46: 52-68.
18.
Moscicki EKEpidemiologic surveys as tools for studying suicidal behavior: a review. Suicide Life Threat Behav1989; 19: 131-46.
19.
Jessen G., Andersen K., Bille-Brahe U.Selvmordstanker og selvmordsforsøg blandt 15-24-arige i det danske uddannelsessystem. (Suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts among 15-24 years old individuals in the Danish educational system). Ugeskr Laeger1996; 158: 5026-9.
20.
Moscicki EK , O'Carroll P., Rae DS, Locke BZ, Roy A., Regier DASuicide attempts in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area Study. Yale J Biol Med1988; 61: 259-68.
21.
Platt S., Bille-Brahe U., Kerkhof A., et al. Parasuicide in Europe: the WHO/EURO multicentre study on parasuicide. I. Introduction and preliminary analysis for 1989. Acta Psychiatr Scand1992; 85: 97-104.
22.
Bille-Brahe U.Selvmordsforsøg i Fyns Amt 1989/90. (Attempted suicides in the County of Funen in 1989/ 1990). Ugeskr Laeger1991; 153: 1119-22.
23.
Bille-Brahe U.The role of sex and age in suicidal behavior . Acta Psychiatr Scand1993; Suppl 371: 21-7.
24.
Goldney RD, Smith S., Winefield AH, Tiggeman M., Winefield HRSuicidal ideation: its enduring nature and associated morbidity. Acta Psychiatr Scand1991; 83: 115-20.
25.
Wasserman D. , Fellman M., Bille-Brahe U., et al. Parasuicide in the Nordic countries . Scand J Soc Med1994; 22: 170-7.
26.
Bjerke T., Hjelmeland H., Jorgensen PT, Stiles TC, Skjaervold L.Parasuicid i Sør- Trøndelag 1989-92. Rater og sociodemografiske karakteristika (Parasuicide in Sor-Trondelag 1989-92. Rates and sociodemographic characteristics). Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1995; 115: 1221-4.
27.
Beautrais AL , Joyce PR, Mulder RTUnemployment and serious suicide attempts . Psychol Med1998; 28: 209-18.
