Key words: methods of suicide, hanging, trends.

Summary. Methods of completed suicides in relation to gender, age and place of residence and their changes in Lithuania during 1993–1997 and 1998–2002 were analyzed in this study.

Data on completed suicides (n=16147) was compiled from the computerized database of the Lithuanian Department of Statistics. Hanging was the most common method of completed suicides in Lithuania. Proportion of hanging among the other methods of suicides increased from 87.3% during 1993–1997 till 90.1% during 1998–2002. Proportion of hanging increased most notably among girls aged 10–19. Hanging, as the method of suicide, was more prevalent among males in comparison to females and among rural residents in comparison to the urban population. Proportion of hanging had the increasing tendency with an increase of age. The next most prevalent method of suicide among males was firearm, while among females – poisoning, jumping from the height and drowning. Different types of poisoning were more prevalent among adolescents, particularly among girls, in comparison to the adult population. Poisoning and jumping from the height were more common among urban males and females if compared to the rural population.

Hanging, as highly lethal and accessible method of suicide, may be one of the underlying causes of the high rates of completed suicides in Lithuania.

Correspondence to J. Petrauskienė, Department of Social Medicine, Kaunas University of Medicine, A. Mickevičiaus 9, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania. E-mail: socmed@kmu.lt

Received 18 June 2004, accepted 6 September 2004