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Dynamics of suicidal frequency changes on the railways in Poland - an attempt of epidemiological analyzes
 
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1
Wydział Nauk o Zdrowiu, Collegium Medicum Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Kraków, Polska
 
2
Katedra Nauk Społecznych, Uniwersytet Medyczny, Poznań, Polska
 
3
Katedra Psychiatrii UJ CM, Klinika Psychiatrii Dorosłych
 
 
Submission date: 2020-06-14
 
 
Final revision date: 2020-07-27
 
 
Acceptance date: 2020-07-28
 
 
Online publication date: 2022-04-30
 
 
Publication date: 2022-04-30
 
 
Corresponding author
Katarzyna Cyranka   

Katedra Psychiatrii UJ CM, Klinika Psychiatrii Dorosłych
 
 
Psychiatr Pol 2022;56(2):373-389
 
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ABSTRACT
Objectives:
The analysis presented in the article is the first study of suicide on railway tracks in Poland.

Methods:
An epidemiological assessment was conducted, study type: case series, population-based with use of the data from the National Police Headquarters. The rates of railway suicides in Poland in the years 2007-2018 were compared to the overall number of suicides in Poland and in the EU.

Results:
In 2007-2018, the average share of deaths by railway suicide in the overall number of suicides committed in Poland amounted to 2.06%. Between the years: 1999 -2018 there is a growing number of railway suicide attempts and railway suicide attempts without deaths. Since 2012, an increase of suicide attempts on railway tracks, along with a constant number of suicide deaths, has been observed. In 2017 - 2018, throwing oneself under a train to end one’s life was the third most commonly chosen method in Poland. Although it accounted for only a small percentage of all methods of suicide, it was chosen relatively more often than in other European countries.

Conclusions:
Poland belongs to a small group of European countries where the number of deaths by suicide has displayed an upward tendency in the course of 20 years. There is a growing number of unsuccessful railway suicide attempts. The index of deaths on railway tracks in Poland, was considerably higher than the average index for the EU.

eISSN:2391-5854
ISSN:0033-2674
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