EVOLUTION OF DEATHS DUE TO SUICIDE IN URUGUAY AT DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL IN THE PERIOD 2001-2010

The objective of this study is to determine the quantity and tendency of deaths due to suicide by Department, in Uruguay in the period 2001-2010. It is a descriptive study (Historical series) of the total number of people who died due to suicide between the years 2001 and 2010. A statistically significant difference is observed among the departments (p<0,001 Kruskal-Wallis Test; the Departments of Rivera and Rocha were the extreme cases (12.2 vs. 30.4 every a hundred thousand inhabitants). The highest rates belong to the Departments of Rocha, Flores, Treinta y Tres, Florida and Maldonado. The Departments of Riviera and Soriano show a decreasing tendency (p<0.05, lineal regression model) whereas the opposite happens in Maldonado, with an increasing tendency (p<0.05). In the evolution of rates over time according to age and sex, most departments show a dramatic increase in the year 2002 and others in 2003, coinciding with the socio-economic crisis the country underwent at the time. During the whole period Rocha presents the highest suicide rate and it remains stable.