Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
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Acta Psychiatr Scand · Dec 2005
Suicide trends following the Taiwan earthquake of 1999: empirical evidence and policy implications.
Mental health impact of severe earthquakes on survivors has attracted considerable attention. Suicide represents a terminal outcome of the spectrum of potential major mental health issues spawned by severe earthquakes. This study used time-series analysis to examine the time trends of increased suicide rates after the Chi-Chi earthquake of 1999 in Taiwan in the affected counties. ⋯ We found that the mean monthly suicide rate for earthquake victims was higher while the low-exposure group remained stable and consistent throughout the observation period, indicating that the impact on the high-exposure group was attributable to the earthquake. This indicates the need for providing strengthened psychiatric services during the first year following major disasters.