Perfil epidemiológico dos índices de tentativa de suicídio e mortalidade por suicídio no Baixo Amazonas - PA: que vidas são essas?

Abstract

Suicide, also known as self-inflicted injury, is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a complex phenomenon with multifactorial and multidimensional causes, a public health issue, as well as a preventable one. It is characterized by deliberate behaviors directed at oneself, with the ultimate intention of death. The general objective of this research was to characterize the epidemiological profile of suicide attempts and suicide mortality cases in the Baixo Amazonas region – Pará, between the years 2013 and 2023. The methodology was based on an epidemiological, observational, descriptive, retrospective cross-sectional study. The data source was secondary, obtained from the State of Pará Public Health Department (SESPA), the 9th Regional Health Center (9° CRS), and the Brazilian Ministry of Health’s Interpersonal/Self-inflicted Violence Panel. Over these 10 years, 348 reports of self-inflicted violence were recorded, with the profile of suicide attempts in the Baixo Amazonas region showing a predominance of women (56%), aged 20 to 29 (37.6%), of “pardo” race/skin color (82.2%), single marital status (50%), with a high school education (30.2%), and the main method of attempt being poisoning/intoxication (37.4%), occurring mostly at home (82.8%), and with recurring episodes of violence (41%). Regarding mental/behavioral disorders, there were 37 recorded cases, and 62 individuals were reported to be under the influence of alcohol. Concerning suicide mortality in the same region and period, 488 deaths were recorded, indicating an increasing trend, predominantly among males (81%), aged 15 to 24 (30%), of ”pardo” race/skin color (89%), with the occupation of students (16%), with the main method being hanging/strangulation/suffocation (83%), and most occurrences taking place at home (76%). Comparing the pre-pandemic period (2013–2019) with the pandemic/post-pandemic period (2020–2023), there was a statistically significant increase in the average number of suicide cases by approximately 79%. It is concluded that the data found suggest that the region’s profile aligns with the national reality, with some variations observed in notifications when analyzed individually by municipality. Additionally, underreporting still hinders the construction of a reliable profile for proposing effective health promotion and prevention measures. Therefore, suicide attempts are most commonly observed among women, young adults, single individuals, and via poisoning/intoxication. In contrast, suicide mortality is more frequent among male Black and ”pardo” individuals, predominantly adolescents and young adults, with hanging/strangulation/suffocation being among the most aggressive and widely used methods both nationally and globally, and the most common location being the home.