‘Worrying downward trend’ in female suicide age, Swiss study finds

A suicide memorial on the Lorrainebrücke bridge in Bern. Keystone

Women in Switzerland are committing suicide at an increasingly young age, according to a study by the University of Zurich covering a ten-year period.

“Suicide prevention strategies need to be re-evaluated to take account of the worrying downward trend in the age of female suicides,” wrote the scientists.

The study examined archives of the University of Zurich’s Institute of Forensic Medicine for post-mortem examinations of all suicides – excluding assisted suicides – between 2012 and 2021. Of the 1,174 cases analysed, 72% involved men and 28% women

The average age over the ten years was 53 for men and 52 for women. Among women, however, the tendency was towards committing suicide at a younger age, with the average age falling below 50 in 2019-2020.

+ Overall, Swiss suicide rates have been falling over time

Changing gender roles

The researchers hypothesise that this could be linked to changing gender roles. However, they also said they “do not yet have a global explanation for this development, and further research is needed to counter it effectively”.

The study also found a difference between women and men in terms of suicide method. For example, 21.2% of men used a firearm, compared with 3.6% of women. Similarly, more men (24.4%) than women (16.4%) hanged themselves.

On the other hand, women are more likely poison themselves (21.6% compared with 9% of men). Younger women are also more likely than older women to resort to harsher methods of suicide, such as hanging or jumping in front of a train.

The scientists ultimately recommend limiting access to suicide methods in order to support prevention. In particular, they recommend stricter rules on access to firearms.

Switzerland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. According to data from the Swiss Health Observatory (OBSAN), around 1,000 people died by suicide in 2020.

The highest Swiss suicide rate was reached in the early 1980s, then fell towards the end of the millennium. The current study appeared in the journal “Rechtsmedizin”, published by the German Society of Forensic Medicine.

Translated from French by DeepL/dos

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