Suicide tourism in Manhattan, New York City, 1990-2001

Suicide accounts for approximately 30,000 deaths per year in the United States and is associated with psychiatric illness and substance abuse. Research suggests a strong relationship between method of suicide and lethal means that are available in a given community. Yet certain individuals may also seek the opportunity for suicide outside their proximal environment, often in well-known places. While prevention efforts have been aimed at certain popular sites for suicide (i.e. Golden Gate Bridge), little research has studied “suicide tourism,” the phenomenon of those who travel out of town and commit suicide. We collected data on all suicide deaths in New York City (NYC) between 1990-2001 from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of NYC. We examined trends and correlates of out-of-town residents who committed suicide in NYC Manhattan accounted for 207 of the 303 non-resident suicides in NYC, representing 10% of all suicides committed in Manhattan. The most common methods of suicide for the Manhattan non-resident were long fall, hanging, overdose and drowning; the most common locations included bridges, parks and streets, followed by hotels and office buildings. Non-resident victims tended to be younger and more often white than their residential counterparts. An analysis of non-resident suicides in Manhattan revealed that it is a location where individuals travel and take their lives, often by similar means and in similar locations. A comparison with residential suicide implied that a different type of individual is at risk for non-residential suicide and further research and prevention efforts should be considered.