Epidemiological trends of youth suicide in Norway

Norway, traditionally a country with low suicide rates, has experienced a strong increase in youth suicide over the last two decades. From 1973 to 1994 suicide rates roughly doubled both in 15-19 and 20-24 year old males, whereas there were only minor changes in the female rate. Over the same time span suicide remained very rare in children below the age of 15. Suicide accounted for 7% of all deaths in 10-24 year olds in 1973 and 24% in 1994. An increasing proportion of suicides in males and females is being committed by the use of fire-arms and hanging. In municipalities with less than 50 000 inhabitants or a low level of centrality there has been a strong increase in suicide rates over the time period under study, whereas highly urbanised municipalities had no increase. Possible etiological factors linked to these epidemiological changes are discussed in the light of contemporary psychiatric and sociological research.