Suicide Attempts and the Human Development Index in Brazil, 2000-2014

Objective: This study aims to verify whether there is a relationship between the Human Development Index (HDI) of Brazil and suicide attempts (SAs) from 2000 to 2014. Methods: Data on SAs and the Brazilian population were extracted from DATASUS, which is available from the Department of Informatics of the Ministry of Health (www.datasus.gov.br). Standardized rates of hospitalization for SAs were calculated for 100,000 (105) inhabitants in the construction of coefficients. Results: The distribution of hospitalization rates shows distinct patterns, with a reduction in most states but growth in some states located in the Northeast region of Brazil. No correlation was found between the HDI and SAs. States in Brazil's less-developed regions (the Northeast and North) showed lower HDI values and had higher variability in the hospitalization rates due to SAs. The risk of hospitalization was higher for men. Conclusion: No correlation was found between the HDI and SAs, probably because of the great variability of hospital admissions attributable to SAs in low-HDI states. In those states, the stability of hospital admission rates can be affected by a lack of uniformity in registers, among other factors. Further studies should investigate this great variability in hospital admission rates.