Sociodemographic characteristics and time series of mortality due to suicide among elderly individuals in Bahia State, Brazil, 1996-2013

to describe sociodemographic aspects and time evolution of mortality due to suicide among elderly individuals in Bahia State, Brazil, from 1996 to 2013. time series descriptive and ecological study, with data from the Mortality Information System (SIM); Prais-Winsten regression was used for trend analysis and to calculate annual percent change (APC). 858 deaths due to suicide were identified in elderly in Bahia; 85.4% were men, and 53.8% were in the 60-69 age group; 64.3% of deaths resulted from hanging/strangulation, followed by self-poisoning by pesticides and chemical products (13.1%); there was an increasing trend in suicide mortality rate in the general elderly population (APC 11.0; 95%CI 6.9;15.3) and in the male sex (APC 12.1; 95%CI 7.1;17.3), whilst in the female population it remained stable. in Bahia, mortality due to suicide among elderly individuals presented an increasing trend in the period studied and was higher among males.