Participation in screening for cardiovascular risk by people with schizophrenia or similar mental illnesses: cross sectional study in general practice.

; they concluded that the method does not over-report the number of suicides. We estimated population using census data (from 1994), which are updated regularly. The mean suicide rate for the 6 year period was 95. of total deaths. Suicides in women were 0.84 times as likely as suicides among men; this ratio did not change significantly over time. Older men were more likely to commit suicide than younger men (table). Most women who committed suicide were aged 15-24 or older than 65. We found more suicides among women (102/278) than among men (58/331) in the 15-24 years age group (2 for linear trend=15.5; P < 0.001). Poisoning (275/609; 45%) and hanging (248/609; 41%) were the commonest methods overall. A greater proportion of women chose drowning or burning (2 =52.2; df=1; P < 0.0001) than men, who more often chose poisoning or hanging. People younger than 44 years tended to use poison; older people tended to choose hanging (2 =44.1; df=18; P < 0.001). From 1994 until 1999, the proportion of suicide by poisoning, hanging, and drowning did not change significantly. The number of suicides by burning increased from 4 in 1994 to 11 in 1999 (2 for linear trend=7.25; P=0.007). No suti—a widow committing suicide by burning in her husband's funeral pyre—was recorded. Comment Verbal autopsies can give a good idea of the cause of death from suicide in the developing world, where coroners' verdicts are not available. A community health programme in the Kaniyambadi region of India found that recent studies in India have under-reported suicide rates by two to three times. 2 The independently verified method used verbal autopsies and found the rate in 1994-9 was 95.2/100 000 population—nine times the national average. The high rates are not likely to be peculiar to Kaniyambadi; they reflect more accurate data collection. Sentinel centres that accurately monitor suicide are needed in the developing world. We thank the staff of the Department of Community Health for the census, data collection, computerisation, and verbal autopsies. Contributors: AJ, SA, JPM, and KG designed and monitored the project and contributed to writing the paper. JP, SM, and VJA monitored the programme, reviewed verbal autopsies, and helped write the paper. KSJ analysed the data and wrote the paper. AJ is guarantor. Funding: No additional funding. People with severe mental illnesses are at increased risk for physical illness, including cardiovascular disease. Guidance from the National …