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.