Letter to the Editor May 15, 2009

Suicide Sex Ratio: The Interaction Between Mental Illness and Suicide Methods

Ying-Yeh Chen; Hung-Chi Chiang; Shih-Cheng Liao; Ming-Been Lee

J Clin Psychiatry 2009;70(2):294-295

Article Abstract

Letter to the Editor

Sir: A common explanation for the higher suicide rate in
males is that men prefer violent and highly lethal methods.
Similarly, people with mental illness also tend to choose more
violent and immediately lethal methods. However, few studies
have explored how suicide sex ratios vary according to the
interactions between methods of choice and mental illness. This
study examined how such an interplay determines the male-tofemale
suicide sex ratio in Taiwan.