Epidemiology of suicides in Poland in 1990–2018 – changes and new trends

INTRODUCTION In Poland, the problem of suicide attempts has not been the subject of a comprehensive analysis. We examined the magnitude of the phenomenon and suicide trends over the past 3 decades, focusing on the number of suicide deaths and attempts, the method and place of suicide, gender, age, day of the week, and state of mind. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used official nationwide data collected by the Central Statistical Office (CSO) and the National Police Headquarters (NPH) for the years 1990-2018. The final statistical data collected by the CSO was verified on the basis of medically certified deaths. RESULTS Despite the correlation between the information from the CSO and NPH on the classification of suicides, in the opinion of authors', the published data is underestimated or incorrectly categorized. There were 187,502 suicide attempts in Poland between 1990 and 2018, 75.8% of which resulted in death. In 2018, the suicide rate in Poland was 13.6 per 100,000 people and was higher than in 1990 (9.7). The highest risk for suicides is observed for men aged 45-54 years, at the turn of winter and spring, on Mondays, and in rural areas. The critical period is Mondays at the turn of winter and spring. Hanging is the most commonly used suicide method. CONCLUSIONS Based on the collected statistical data, it should be stated that suicide attempts have for many years been a significant social problem in Poland, for which no systemic solutions have been introduced.