Suicide in Malta : a preliminary study

Abstract

This paper was read, in a slightly shorter version, at the 1974 Clinical and Scientific Meeting of the Association of Surgeons and Physicians of Malta. The purpose of this study is to survey the incidence and features of suicide in the Maltese Island, with special reference to the social, psychiatric and forensic aspects. The study covers the period between 1955 and 1972. This is a preliminary report. The processing of the collected data has as yet not been finalised. Certain social factors will need more detailed analysis. However, it was considered useful that the communication of some of the results be made even at this stage. The suicide rate for the Maltese Islands is among the lowest in Europe. In Malta suicide is most frequent in late middle-age and in old age, and is commoner among males than females.