Suicide in England and Wales 1959–63 Part 2: London

Synopsis

Suicide deaths by age and sex have been examined in 28 London boroughs for the period 1959–63. In contrast with the findings in 82 county boroughs, the relationships between suicide and 18 other variables did not differ greatly for the sexes. In old age, as in the previous investigation, most of the variables having high correlations with suicide rates tended to disappear. Loneliness and ill-health were probably more important determinants of suicide rates in the elderly than other environmental or personal attributes. The finding that the distribution of suicide in London has not changed much in 40 years implies a need for the development of services to combat this problem in boroughs where suicide is particularly high.