Figure 3: Self-Report Suicide Ideation, King County

Figure 1: Suicide Death and Hospitalization Rates, King County

Figure 2: Age- and Gender-Specific Suicide Rates

Figures:  
• Figure 3: Self-Report Suicide Ideation, King County  – 
• Figure 1: Suicide Death and Hospitalization Rates, King County  – 
• Figure 2: Age- and Gender-Specific Suicide Rates

Data Discussion

The Indicator Defined

Number of suicides per 100,000 in population.

Data Interpretation/Evaluation

Suicide death rates have fluctuated but, overall, decreased since 1980, from 12.5 per 100,000 to 11.5 per 100,000.  However, in the last five years alone, suicide deaths have neither increased nor declined.  In 2003, 213 King County residents committed suicide, for an age-adjusted rate of 11.9 per 100,000. (Figure 1)

From 1990 to 2003, hospitalization rates for those who attempted suicide declined. However, these data don’t include hospitalization admissions to psychiatric hospitals. The decline may be due to the increasing likelihood of referrals from hospital emergency rooms directly to psychiatric hospitals, as well health system changes that were implemented in the 1990s to provide alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization, which can be disruptive to the lives of patients.

In Seattle, where historically suicide has been highest, suicide deaths declined from 15.3 per 100,000 (1990-1992 average) to 10.1 per 100,000 (2001-2003) (data not shown).  Currently, suicide death rates are highest in South County (11.6 per 100,000), although region-level differences are not statistically significant.

Suicide death rates are highest in whites. Both deaths and hospitalizations tended to be higher in high-poverty neighborhoods (data not shown).  Since 1990-1992, suicide hospital admission rates fell in Seattle and East (data not shown). For the most current data, (2001-2003), South County residents had the highest rates for suicide hospitalization.

Hospital admissions for suicide attempts are more common among young adults and females, while suicides deaths are greatest in those 65 and older and males. (Figure 2) Hospitalizations for suicide attempts are 13 times more common than deaths in those aged 10 to 17. While suicide hospitalizations were twice as common as deaths in males, hospitalizations were over 10 times more common than deaths in females.  As age increases, suicide completion rates gradually increase. After age 18 to 24, where they peak, suicide hospitalizations decrease substantially. This is very likely due to greater percentage of “success” in suicide tries in older age groups.

Suicide ideation and planning is relatively common in young people. (Figure 3) In King County, almost one in five (18.1%) 10th grade students who participated in the Healthy Youth Survey reported seriously considering suicide, and 14.0% made a plan for committing suicide in the previous 12 months. Patterns in suicide consideration and plan were similar (while such ideation was less common) in 12th grade and 8th grade students. 

Data Source and Limitations

Data was compiled by Sustainable Seattle from the Health of King County 2006 report. 

The percentages for suicide ideation may not be precisely representative of all King County students because of survey response rates between 47% and 67%. However, in a theoretical  survey in which everyone participated, there would have to be  markedly different answers from those who were non-respondents in the HYS to change the general pattern seen here.

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