"Suicide Tourism” Accounts for One in 10 Suicides in Manhattan, New Academy Study Finds

NEW YORK CITY, Nov. 1 ??? Out-of-towners are traveling to New York City specifically to commit suicide in a phenomenon known as “suicide tourism” that accounts for 1 in 10 suicides committed in Manhattan since 1990, according to new research by Academy epidemiologists in the November/December issue of the Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of The New York Academy of Medicine. The findings are being presented Monday for the first time, at the American Public Health Association meeting in Washington, DC.

Study shows that certain individuals may also seek the opportunity for suicide outside their environment and often in well-known places, leading to "Suicide Tourism."

The two highest concentrations of nonresident suicides in Manhattan occurred in the Midtown tourism hotspot zone that includes the Empire State Building, Times Square, and many high-rise buildings, and near the George Washington Bridge. Nonresidents committed 21???40 suicides in each of the two areas during the study period spanning from 1990 to 2004.

“These data suggest that there are individuals who travel to a distant location and take their lives,” said co-author David Vlahov, PhD, RN, Director of the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at The New York Academy of Medicine, and Senior Vice President for Research. This study marks the first known effort to document the number, and characteristics, of individuals who travel substantial distances to commit suicide, Vlahov said.

Most suicide research points to a strong relationship between method of suicide, and the lethal means most available in one’s home community. For example, firearm-related suicides are more prevalent in communities with a high density/availability of firearms. This study shows that certain individuals may also seek the opportunity for suicide outside their proximal environment and often in well-known places, a phenomenon the authors call “suicide tourism.”

Researchers from the Academy and collaborating institutions manually reviewed records of all suicide deaths in New York City between 1990 and 2004, combing through files in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of New York City (OCME). The OCME is responsible for assessing all deaths of persons believed to have died in an unnatural manner in the city.

Between 1990 and 2004, there were a total of 7,634 suicides in New York City: 94.7 percent were committed by residents of NYC, and 5.3 percent (or 407) by nonresidents. Manhattan was the venue for 274 of those 407 nonresident suicides, accounting for more than 10 percent of all Manhattan-based suicides.

The most common methods of suicide for the Manhattan nonresidents were: long fall (from a tall building), hanging, overdose, drowning, and firearms. The most common locations included hotels and commercial buildings, followed by outside locations such as bridges, parks, and streets.

Nonresident “suicide tourists” tended to be younger than their resident counterparts: 47.5 percent of nonresident suicides were committed by people under the age of 35 (compared to 29.4 percent among NYC resident suicides in Manhattan), and only 2.6 percent of nonresident suicides were committed by people over 75 years old (compared to 10.9 percent among residents). Nonresident suicide victims also tended to be more often white and Asian than resident suicides, and less often black and Hispanic. Male victims accounted for nearly 80 percent of nonresident suicides in Manhattan compared to 70 percent of suicides among residents.

Of the nonresident suicides, 59.5 percent were committed in locations coded by the OCME as “other inside,” such as hotels and any other nonresidential interiors; 25.5 were committed in outside locations such as parks, streets, and bridges. Among NYC resident suicides in Manhattan, the bulk of suicides — 75.1 percent — occurred at a residence.

Suicide accounts for over 30,000 deaths per year in the United States. As New York City is the nation’s most densely populated and culturally diverse city and is known for tourism, the authors hope that this and future research will lead to a greater understanding of why certain individuals travel to specific locales to take their lives, and eventually make prevention efforts possible that focus on recognizing at-risk individuals and restricting access to means and sites that are repeatedly used.

“As with locations such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Eiffel Tower that are repeatedly used for suicide, certain locales in Manhattan and other urban areas may require further prevention efforts such as greater public awareness, surveillance, available hotline phones, and suicide barriers,” Vlahov said.

The paper, “Suicide Tourism in Manhattan, New York City, 1990???2004,” appears in the November/December issue of the Academy’s Journal of Urban Health. The findings will be presented at the American Public Health Association conference on Monday, Nov. 5, 12:30PM-1:30PM. (Abstract #: 157856, Session #: 3178.0).

About the Journal of Urban Health
The Journal of Urban Health is a bimonthly peer-reviewed publication of The New York Academy of Medicine and focuses on the emerging fields of urban health and epidemiology. The Journal addresses health issues such as substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, HIV, tuberculosis, and violence from both clinical and policy perspectives, filling a neglected niche in medical and health literature. Published since 1847, the Journal is edited by David Vlahov, PhD, RN, Director of the Academy’s Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies and Senior Vice President for Research.

About The New York Academy of Medicine
Founded in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit institution whose mission is to enhance the health of the public. Our research, education, community engagement, and evidence-based advocacy seek to improve the health of people living in cities, especially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. The impact of these initiatives reaches into neighborhoods in New York City, across the country, and around the world. We work with community based organizations, academic institutions, corporations, the media, and government to catalyze and contribute to changes that promote health. Visit us online at www.nyam.org.

Posted on November 1, 2007

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