Ethnic Immigrant suicide in a Canadian psychiatric service: A case series from 1966–1997

Introduction Suicide is a major public-health problem in Canada. Data from ‘Statistics Canada’ suggests that there was a 10% increase in suicide rate between the years 1997 and 1999. Studies have found substantial differences in suicide rates (and patterns) amongst ethnic immigrants compared to Canadian-born individuals. Aim The aim of the study was to investigate whether ethnic-immigrant patients differed from Canadian-born patients in their social, demographic, psychiatric and historical associations. Methods All registered patients ( n  = 276) known to have completed suicide from 1966–1997 constituted the study sample. Data were extracted from the written case audits, autopsy and toxicology reports, and medical records. Results Of the 276 known cases of suicide, 11 were Afro-Caribbean, 24 were Eastern European, 14 were Asian and 215 were Canadian-born patients. The ethnic-immigrant groups were broadly comparable to the Canadian-born group in terms of the social, demographic, psychiatric and background historical factors (except that the latter had a higher prevalence of alcohol and substance misuse). There were no significant differences between different ethnic immigrant groups themselves. Conclusions The most salient implication of the findings are that social, psychiatric and historical associations of mentally ill patients who complete suicide are common across different ethnic immigrant groups, and as such a universal approach to mental health promotion, early identification and treatment would be similarly applicable to patients belonging to all groups.