Background: In Israel, some population characteristics and lifestyle patter
ns make epidemiological research on suicide of particular interest. The Isr
aeli population is characterized by ethnic diversity, with a multi-religiou
s, multi-national mosaic of Jews and Arabs. These subgroups also vary in th
eir suicidal behavior. The aims of the present study were to examine the tr
ends in suicide incidence rates in Israel from 1984 to 1994, to identify su
b-populations at high risk for suicide and to identify suicide methods asso
ciated with increased risk. Methods: Suicide rate trends in Israel over the
period from 1984 to 1994 were examined for four subgroups: Jewish men and
women, and Arab men and women. Cases of undetermined external cause (UEC) o
f death were also considered. Mortality data were obtained from the compute
rized data files of the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, which include
s cause of death and sociodemographic variables. Suicide was classified acc
ording to the ICD-9 codes. Results: Suicide rates were higher for Jews than
for Arabs, and higher for men than for women. The rates among both populat
ion and sex groups increased directly with age. A significant increase over
the years studied was found for Jewish men, particularly in the 18- to 21-
year-old age group. An increase in the use of firearms was noted, mainly in
the groups in which total suicide rates increased. Conclusions: The findin
gs of this study highlight the need for further studies to identify both su
b-populations at high risk for suicide, and societal trends such as lifesty
les, immigration, military service, and media exposure to violence, as firs
t steps toward planning of intervention programs to reduce suicide rates.