Key Points

In 2015, nearly 100 people died by suicide, more than half of them by hanging. Réunion had a suicide mortality rate (13.6 per 100,000 inhabitants) below the national rate.

Between 2008 and 2017, the regional rate of hospitalizations for suicide attempts (SA) increased significantly, becoming comparable to the national rate in 2017 (142 vs. 148 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants).

As at the national level, demographic profiles differ for suicides and suicide attempts, respectively: - Men account for the majority of suicides: 4 out of 5 suicides involved a man (80%) - Across all genders, those aged 45–49 represent the largest share of suicides in the region (15%)- Adolescent girls are significantly overrepresented among suicide attempts: among girls aged 15 to 19, the annual rate of hospitalizations for suicide attempts calculated for 2015–2017 was 1,601 per 100,000.

Intentional drug overdoses, the leading cause of suicide attempts: in 2017, they accounted for nearly 9 out of 10 emergency room visits for suicide attempts and 73% of hospitalizations for suicide attempts in the region.

Half of all repeat suicide attempts occurred within 2 months of the first emergency department visit: in 2017, 6.6% of individuals admitted to emergency departments in Réunion for suicide attempts repeated their attempt within 6 months, half of them within 2 months.

The nature of suicidal behavior is multifactorial: socioeconomic factors, negative life events, violence, a history of mental health disorders, or a diagnosed depressive state…