Policy-Appropriate measurement of Suicide: Headcount vs. potential years of life lost Australia 1907-2005

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Doessel, Darrel P, Williams, Ruth F. G and Whiteford, Harvey (2009) Policy-Appropriate measurement of Suicide: Headcount vs. potential years of life lost Australia 1907-2005. Archives of Suicide Research, 13 (1). pp. 87-99. ISSN 1381-1118

Abstract

We reconsider conventional suicide measurement. First, a headcount of suicide is examined relative to some other causes of death (circulatory diseases, cancer, and motor vehicle accidents). We then construct a time-series data set of an alternative measure of suicide, the potential years of life lost (PYLL) for males and females. Suicide PYLLs average 4.57%of all male PYLLs and 2.44%of female PYLLs for 1907–2005. The comparable ‘‘count’’ percentages are 1.85 and 0.65, respectively. These differences are widening through time. In 2005, suicide represented 3.25% of all male deaths and 0.90% of female deaths using the count measure and, using PYLLs, 11.0% and 4.96%, respectively. The two measures produce quite different indications of suicide.

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Item type	Article
URI	https://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/4260
DOI	10.1080/13811110802572197
Official URL	http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1381111...
Subjects	Historical > Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > School of Economics and Finance Historical > FOR Classification > 1117 Public Health and Health Services Historical > FOR Classification > 1402 Applied Economics Historical > SEO Classification > 9205 Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health)
Keywords	ResPubID17344. suicide measurement, potential years of life lost, PYLL, Australia, Australian
Citations in Scopus	12 - View on Scopus
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