Crisis Resources 

Research - Suicide Epidemiology

Researching prevalence of suicidal behaviors, risk & resilience factors in the population.

Suicide prevention requires valid data on suicide mortality and suicide attempts in order to identify risk groups and develop appropriate interventions. Several projects of the Werkstaette focus on ongoing surveillance of suicide in Austria, during the COVID-19 emergency and beyond.

Related Publications

Chen J, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Taipale H, Rahman S, Niederkrotenthaler T, Klimek P. (2023). Association of medication clusters and subsequent labor market marginalization in refugee and Swedish-born young adults with common mental disorder in Sweden. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Online ahead of print. 10.1007/s00787-023-02214-8.
Zimmermann C, Strohmaier S, Niederkrotenthaler T, Thau K, Schernhammer E. (2023). Suicide mortality among physicians, dentists, veterinarians, and pharmacists as well as other high-skilled occupations in Austria from 1986 through 2020. Psychiatry Research 323:115170. 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115170.
Watzka C. (2022). Sozialepidemiologie des Suizids in Österreich 2000-2019. Daten und Analysen mit Fokus Steiermark. [Social epidemiology of suicide in Austria 2000-2019. Data and analyses with focus on Styria.] Facultas, Wien.
Pirkis J, John A, Shin S, DelPozo-Banos M, Arya V, Analuisa Aguilar P, Appleby L, Arensman E, Bantjes J, [...], Niederkrotenthaler T, [...], Gunnell D, Spittal MJ. (2021). Suicide trends in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic: Interrupted time series analysis of preliminary data from 21 countries. Lancet Psychiatry, 8(7), 579-588. 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00091-2.
Eskin M, Tran US, Carta MG, Poyrazli S, Flood C, Mechri A, Hamdan M, Janghorbani M, Khader Y, Yoshimasu K, Sun JM, Kujan O, Abuidhail J, Aidoudi K, Bakhshi S, Harlak H, Moro MF, Phillips L, Shaheen A, Taifour S, Tsuno K, Voracek M. (2020). Is individualism suicidogenic? Findings from a multi-national study with young adults from 12 countries. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11, Article 259. 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00259.
Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Amin R, Niederkrotenthaler T, Björkenstam E, Helgesson M, Qin P, Runeson B, Tinghög P, Mehlum L. (2020). Mental ill-health and suicidal behaviour in asylum seekers and refugees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Suicidologi. Nr1, 2020, 31-32.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Gunnell D, Arensman E, Pirkis J, Appleby L, Hawton K, John A, Kapur N, Khan M, O’Connor RC, Platt S. (2020). Suicide Research, Prevention, and COVID-19. Crisis (Vol. 41, Issue 5, pp. 321–330). 10.1027/0227-5910/a000731.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Thurner S, Endel G, Klimek P. (2020). Healthcare utilization, psychiatric medication and risk of rehospitalization in suicide-attempting patients with common mental disorders. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 54(4), 409–422. 10.1177/0004867419895112.
Dervic K, Oquendo MA. (2019). Suicidal and Self-Harming Preschoolers. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 58(1):22-24.
Eskin M, Poyrazli S, Janghorbani M, Bakhshi S, Carta MG, Moro MF, Tran US, Voracek M, Mechri A, Aidoudi K, Hamdan M, Nawafleh H, Sun JM, Flood C, Phillips L, Yoshimasu K, Tsuno K, Kujan O, Harlak H, Khader Y, Shaheen A, Taifour S. (2019). The role of religion in suicidal behavior, attitudes and psychological distress among university students: A multinational study. Transcultural Psychiatry, 56(5), 853-877. 10.1177/1363461518823933.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Helgesson M, Rahman S, Wang M, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. (2018). Period effects in the risk of subsequent labour market marginalisation in young suicide attempters. European Journal of Public Health, 28(2), 253–258. 10.1093/eurpub/ckx140.
Laido Z, Voracek M, Till B, Pietschnig J, Eisenwort B, Dervic K, Sonneck G, Niederkrotenthaler T. (2017). The epidemiology of suicide among children and youth in Austria, 2001-2014. Wiener klinische Wochenschrift – The Central European Journal of Medicine, 129(3), 121-128. 10.1007/s00508-016-1092-8.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Wang M, Helgesson M, Wilcox H, Gould M, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. (2017). Labour market marginalisation subsequent to suicide attempt in young migrants and native Swedes. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(5), 549–558. 10.1007/s00127-017-1344-6.
Oberaigner W, Haring C, Sperner-Unterweger B, Niederkrotenthaler T, Waldhör T. (2017). Letter to the Editor Re: “Suicide among 915,303 Austrian cancer patients: Who is at risk? Benjamin Vyssoki, Andreas Gleiss, Ian R.H. Rockett, Monika Hackl, Barbara Leitner, Gernot Sonneck, Nestor D. Kapusta [J. Affective Disord. 175 (2015)287-291]”. In Journal of affective disorders (Vol. 207, p. 320). 10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.045.
Strauss MJ, Klimek P, Sonneck G, Niederkrotenthaler T. (2017). Suicides on the Austrian railway network: hotspot analysis and effect of proximity to psychiatric institutions. Royal Society Open Science, 4(3), 160711. 10.1098/rsos.160711.
Tran US, Andel R, Niederkrotenthaler T, Till B, Ajdacic-Gross V, Voracek M. (2017). Low validity of Google Trends for behavioral forecasting of national suicide rates. PLoS ONE, 12(8), e0183149. 10.1371/journal.pone.0183149.
Wang M, Helgesson M, Rahman S, Niederkrotenthaler T, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. (2017). Trajectories and characteristics of functional impairment before and after suicide attempt in young adults – a nationwide register-based cohort study. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1), 393. 10.1186/s12888-017-1567-9.
Eskin M, Kujan O, Voracek M, Shaheen A, Carta MG, Sun JM, Flood C, Poyrazli S, Janghorbani M, Yoshimasu K, Mechri A, Khader Y, Aidoudi K, Bakhshi S, Harlak H, Hmead M, Moro MF, Nawafleh H, Phillips L, Taifour S, Tran US, Tsuno K. (2016). Cross-national comparisons of attitudes towards suicide and suicidal persons in university students from 12 countries. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 57(6), 554-563. 10.1111/sjop.12318.
Eskin M, Sun JM, Abuidhail J, Yoshimasu K, Kujan O, Janghorbani M, Flood C, Carta MG, Tran US, Mechri A, Hamdan M, Poyrazli S, Aidoudi K, Bakhshi S, Harlak H, Moro MF, Nawafleh H, Phillips L, Shaheen A, Taifour S, Tsuno K, Voracek M. (2016). Suicidal behavior and psychological distress in university students: A 12-nation study. Archives of Suicide Research, 20(3), 369-388. 10.1080/13811118.2015.1054055.
Laido Z, Voracek M, Till B, Pietschnig J, Eisenwort B, Dervic K, Sonneck G, Niederkrotenthaler T. (2016). Epidemiology of suicides among children and adolescents in Austria, 2001-2014. Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 2016 Oct 14. 10.1007/s00508-016-1092-8.
Ajdacic-Gross V, Tran US, Bopp M, Sonneck G, Niederkrotenthaler T, Kapusta ND, Rössler W, Seifritz E, Voracek M. (2015). Understanding weekly cycles in suicide: An analysis of Austrian and Swiss data over 40 years. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 24(4), 315-321. 10.1017/S2045796014000195.
Ajdacic-Gross V, Tran US, Bopp M, Sonneck G, Niederkrotenthaler T, Kapusta ND, Rössler W, Seifritz E, Voracek M. (2015). Understanding weekly cycles in suicide: An analysis of Austrian and Swiss data over 40 years – CORRIGENDUM. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 24(4), 322-322. 10.1017/S2045796014000389.
Lopez-Castroman J, Baca-Garcia E, WORECA authors (*), Courtet P, Oquendo MA. (2015). A cross-national tool for assessing and studying suicidal behaviors. Archives of Suicide Research, 19(3):335-49.
(*) WORECA [World Suicide Research Consortium]: Albores L, Angora R, Aroca F, Blasco-Fontecilla H, Braquehais D, Callado LF, Carli V, Casado-Florez MI, Cervilla J, de Leon-Martinez V, De Diego-Otero Y, Dervic K, Drapier D, Fernandez-Navarro P, Geneste J, Giner L, Gorwood P, Guerrero-Lopez JB, Guillaume S, Haffen E, Haro JM, Heinze G, Jimenez-Arriero MA, Jimenez-Cuzmar M, Leboyer M, Martinez-Jambrina JJ, Mendez-Bustos P, Navio-Acosta M, Olie E, Pacheco-Tabuenca T, Palao-Vidal DJ, Parra-Uribe I, Perez-Costillas LM, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Pichene C, Picouto MD, Poulet E, Quesada M, Saiz P, Saiz-Gonzalez D, Saiz-Ruiz J, San L, Sarchiapone M, Schwan R, Thorell LH, Tournier M, Vaiva G, Vaquero-Lorenzo C, Walter M, Zendjidjian X
Till B, Stein C, Niederkrotenthaler T. (2015). Suizidrisiko steigt mit dem Alter stark an [Suicide risk increases strongly with age]. Ärzte Krone, 9, 22-24.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Logan JE, Karch DL, Crosby A. (2014). Characteristics of U.S. suicide decedents in 2005-2010 who had received mental health treatment. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.), 65(3), 387–390. 10.1176/appi.ps.201300124.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Tinghög P, Alexanderson K, Dahlin M, Wang M, Beckman K, Gould M, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. (2014). Future risk of labour market marginalization in young suicide attempters–a population-based prospective cohort study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 43(5), 1520–1530. 10.1093/ije/dyu155.
Amiri L, Voracek M, Yousef S, Galadari A, Yammahi S, Sadeghi MR, Eskin M, Dervic K. (2013). Suicidal behavior and attitudes among medical students in the United Arab Emirates. Crisis, 34(2):116-23.
Kapusta ND, Tran US, Etzersdorfer E, Sonneck G. (2013). Firearm restriction, more precise [Letter to the editor]. Archives of Suicide Research, 17(3), 319-320. 10.1080/13811118.2013.805633.
Schild AHE, Pietschnig J, Tran US, Voracek M. (2013). Genetic association studies between SNPs and suicidal behavior: A meta-meta-analysis. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 46, 36-42. 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2013.06.014.
Dervic K, Amiri L, Niederkrotenthaler T, Yousef S, Salem MO, Voracek M, Sonneck G. (2012). Suicide rates in the national and expatriate population in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 58(6), 652–656. 10.1177/0020764011430038.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Floderus B, Alexanderson K, Rasmussen F, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. (2012). Exposure to parental mortality and markers of morbidity, and the risks of attempted and completed suicide in offspring: an analysis of sensitive life periods. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66(3), 233–239. 10.1136/jech.2010.109595.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Rasmussen F, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. (2012). Perinatal conditions and parental age at birth as risk markers for subsequent suicide attempt and suicide: a population based case-control study. European Journal of Epidemiology, 27(9), 729–738. 10.1007/s10654-012-9724-4.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Sonneck G, Dervic K, Nader IW, Voracek M, Kapusta ND, Etzersdorfer E, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Dorner T. (2012). Predictors of suicide and suicide attempt in subway stations: A population-based ecological study. Journal of Urban Health, 89(2):339-53.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Sonneck G, Dervic K, Nader IW, Voracek M, Kapusta ND, Etzersdorfer E, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Dorner T. (2012). Predictors of suicide and suicide attempt in subway stations: a population-based ecological study. Journal of Urban Health : Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 89(2), 339–353. 10.1007/s11524-011-9656-4.
Dervic K, Amiri L, Niederkrotenthaler T, Yousef S, Salem MO, Voracek M, Sonneck G. (2011). Suicide rates in the national and expatriate population in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 58(6):652-6.
Dervic K, Carballo JJ, Baca-Gracia E, Galfalvy H, Mann JJ, Brent DA, Oquendo MA. (2011). Moral or religious objections to suicide may protect against suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 72(10):1390-6.
Kapusta ND, Tran US, Rockett IRH, De Leo D, Naylor CPE, Niederkrotenthaler T, Voracek M, Etzersdorfer E, Sonneck G. (2011). Declining autopsy rates and suicide misclassification: A cross-national analysis of 35 countries. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(10), 1050-1057. 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.66.
Nader IW, Pietschnig J, Niederkrotenthaler T, Kapusta ND, Sonneck G, Voracek M. (2011). Suicide seasonality: complex demodulation as a novel approach in epidemiologic analysis. PloS One, 6(2), e17413. 10.1371/journal.pone.0017413.
Blasco-Fontecilla H, Baca-Garcia E, Duberstein P, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Dervic K, Saiz-Ruiz J, Courtet P, de Leon J, Oquendo MA. (2010). An exploratory study of the relationship between diverse life events and personality disorders in a sample of suicide attempters. Journal of Personality Disorders, 24(6): 773-784.
Fajkic A, Lepara O, Voracek M, Kapusta ND, Niederkrotenthaler T, Amiri L, Sonneck G, Dervic K. (2010). Child and adolescent suicides in Bosnia and Herzegovina before and after the war (1992-1995). Crisis, 31(3):160-4. 10.1027/0227-5910/a000021.
Kapusta ND, Posch M, Niederkrotenthaler T, Fischer-Kern M, Etzersdorfer E, Sonneck G. (2010). Availability of mental health service providers and suicide rates in Austria: a nationwide study. Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.), 61(12), 1198–1203. 10.1176/ps.2010.61.12.1198.
Kapusta ND, Voracek M, Niederkrotenthaler T, Dervic K, Etzersdorfer E, Plener PL, Schneider E, Stein C, Sonneck G. (2010). Characteristics of police officer suicides in the federal Austrian police corps. Crisis, 31(5):265-71. 10.1027/0227-5910/a000033.
Blasco-Fontecilla H, Baca-Garcia E, Dervic K, Perez-Rodriguez M, Saiz-Gonzalez D, Saiz-Ruiz J, Oquendo MA, de Leon J. (2009). Severity of personality disorders and suicide attempt. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 119(2):149-55.
Blasco-Fontecilla H, Baca-Garcia E, Dervic K, Perez-Rodriguez MM, Lopez-Castroman J, Saiz-Ruiz J, Oquendo MA. (2009). Specific features of suicidal behavior in patients with narcissistic personality disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 70(11):1583-7.
Kapusta ND, Niederkrotenthaler T, Etzersdorfer E, Voracek M, Dervic K, Jandl-Jager E, Sonneck G. (2009). Influence of psychotherapist density and antidepressant sales on suicide rates. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 119(3):236-42. 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2008.01314.x.
Voracek M, Loibl LM, Dervic K, Kapusta N, Niederkrotenthaler T, Sonneck G. (2009). Consistency of immigrant suicide rates in Austria with country-of-birth suicide rates: A role for genetic risk factors for suicide? Psychiatry Research, 170 (2-3):286-9. 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.10.032.
Dervic K, Brent DA, Oquendo MA. (2008). Completed suicide in childhood. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 31(2):271-91.
Loibl LM, Tran US, Hirner A, Voracek M. (2008). Lay theories of suicide: Test-retest reliability and further validation of Lester and Bean’s Attribution of Causes to Suicide scale. Psychiatria Danubina, 20(1), 26-30.
Voracek M, Loibl LM, Kapusta ND, Niederkrotenthaler T, Dervic K, Sonneck G. (2008). Not carried away by a moonlight shadow: no evidence for associations between suicide occurrence and lunar phase among more than 65,000 suicide cases in Austria, 1970-2006. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 120(11–12), 343–349. 10.1007/s00508-008-0985-6.
Dervic K, Akkaya-Kalayci T, Kapusta ND, Kaya M, Merl E, Vogel E, Pellegrini E, Friedrich MH. (2007). Suicidal ideation among Viennese high school students. Wiener klinische Wochenschrift, 119(5-6):174-180.
Dervic K, Friedrich MH, Sonneck G. (2007). Suicidal behavior in Austrian children and adolescents. Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, 4:133-139.
Dervic K, Grunebaum MF, Burke AK, Mann JJ, Oquendo MA. (2007). Cluster C personality disorders in major depressive episodes: The relationship between hostility and suicidal behavior. Archives of Suicide Research, 11(1):83-90.
Kõlves K, Tran US, Voracek M. (2007). Knowledge about suicide and local suicide prevalence: Comparison of Estonia and Austria. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 105(1), 3-7. 10.2466/PMS.105.1.3-7.
Voracek M, Tran US. (2007). Dietary tryptophan intake and suicide rate in industrialized nations. Journal of Affective Disorders, 98(3), 259-262. 10.1016/j.jad.2006.07.019.