Attempted suicides in the municipality of Padua (Italy): a retrospective survey (1996-2000).

This study was conduced to determine attempted suicide (AS) rates in Padua between 1996 and 2000, to compare them with Italy and other Veneto areas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It's an analysis of Police and Carabinieri reports. For each case, they indicate age, sex, marital status, mental and physical disorders, emotional disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction and method of attempted suicide. RESULTS: The annual rate of AS between 1996-2000 ranged from 14.3 (1996) to 3 (2000) per 10(5) inhabitants, with the highest rates in early Autumn; 57.7% of suicide attempts involved females. There is a peak between ages 25 and 34 years, with a higher incidence among females (p