SUICIDE FROM THE CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE IN ENGLAND

Objectives - To examine the epidemiology of suicide by jumping from th e Clifton Suspension Bridge and its impact on local patterns of suicid e. Design - Case-control study of falls from the bridge (1974-93) matc hed by age and sex with those using other methods of suicide. Routine OPCS mortality statistics for Bristol and District Health Authority. S etting - The County of Avon and the Bristol and District Health Author ity. Subjects - 1. Individuals given coroners' verdicts of suicide, '' open'', or misadventure after falls from the suspension bridge and 127 matched control suicides using other methods. 2. All deaths from suic ide within the Bristol and District Health Authority 1982-91. Main out come measures - Past psychiatric history, demographic characteristics of suicides, and proximity of place of residence to the bridge. Result s - There were 127 falls from the Clifton Suspension Bridge between 19 74 and 1993. The mean age was 35.4 years for males (n = 93) and 35.5 f or females (n = 34). Those who committed suicide by jumping were no mo re likely to have psychiatric histories than controls (95% CI of diffe rence - 1.17%, 23.2%) and were no more likely to have been psychiatric inpatients in the past (95% CI of difference - 10.2%, 13.3%). Mean di stance of residence from the bridge differed little between jumping su icides and controls (difference 1.7 km 95% CI 0.5, 3.9 km). Altogether 10.2% of jumpers had a past history of schizophrenia. Suicide by jump ing is significantly more common in the Bristol and District Health Au thority (9.3% of all suicides; 95% C17.6%, 11.3%) than in England and Wales (4.9% of suicides). Conclusions - Patterns of suicide in the Bri stol and District Health Authority are affected by the presence of the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Those who commit suicide by jumping from t he bridge do not differ significantly from those using other methods o f suicide. Provision of safety measures on the bridge may lead to the prevention of some suicides.