Journal of public health
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Journal of public health · Aug 2012
Impact of the growing use of narrative verdicts by coroners on geographic variations in suicide: analysis of coroners' inquest data.
Coroners' death certificates form the basis of suicide statistics in England and Wales. Recent increases in coroners' use of narrative verdicts may affect the reliability of local and national suicide rates. ⋯ Variation in Coroners' use of narrative verdicts influences the validity of reported regional suicide rates. Small-area suicide rates, and changes in these rates over time in the last decade, should be interpreted with caution.