The incidence of suicide attempt in Iran (2001-12): A meta-analysis

Background:  Suicide is a conscious act in which the individual deliberately commits an unusual act with the intention of self-harm. There is no information about the total incidences of suicide in the country. The present research was carried out to determine the incidence of suicide attempt in Iran through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: This study systematically and meta-analytically reviewed the published papers on suicide attempts in Iran during 2001-2012. For this purpose, 31 articles were obtained by searching such databases as Medlib, Google Scholar, PubMed, ISI, Science direct, SID, Medline, Magiran and Irandoc, and the results were analyzed by STATA-11.1 and SPSS-16 through weighted average and Poisson distribution.

Results: A total of 68757 individuals were studied as samples. The incidence of suicide attempt throughout the country was estimated to be 91.65 per 100000; 82.2 in men and 115.79 in women. The maximum number of suicides belonged to Alborz province during 2008 (203 per 100000) and the minimum number was reported for Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province during 2005, (19.8 per 100000). The risk of suicide attempt was found to have increased during 2001-2012.

Conclusion: The incidence rate of suicide in the country is high, higher in women than in men and more common in the age group 24-15 years. The trend of suicide has been on the rise during the last decade; therefore, it is recommended that concerned organizations implement intervention plans to prevent and reduce such attempts.