Key Points

• Emergency department activity: The proportion of emergency department visits due to suicide attempts varied by department. In the Cher and Loir-et-Cher departments, these rates were higher than the regional and national averages.

• Hospitalizations for suicide attempts: Unlike other regions, the standardized regional hospitalization rate for suicide attempts during the pandemic period declined, falling from 163.8 in 2019 to 147.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. At the subregional level, three departments in the region had hospitalization rates for suicide attempts higher than the national level (151.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 inhabitants): Indre-et-Loire (180.1), Indre (173.1), and Eure-et-Loir (160.5).

• Suicide mortality:

  • In 2017, the age-standardized suicide mortality rate among men (29.1 per 100,000 men) was higher than the national rate for men (22.5), ranking among the highest in mainland France behind Brittany (33.4) and the Pays de la Loire (31.5). By age group, those aged 75 and older had the highest crude suicide mortality rates (34.4 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by those aged 45–59 (22.7) and those aged 60–75 (22.6).

  • The breakdown of suicide deaths by sex showed that the majority were men (78%). Among men, those aged 40–49 and those aged 80 and older accounted for the highest proportion (18.3% of suicides). Among women, those aged 50–59 (19.8%), those aged 60–69, and those aged 80 and older were the most represented (17%).

  • At the departmental level, with the exception of Eure-et-Loir, all departments in the region had an age-standardized suicide mortality rate higher than the national average. Furthermore, with a rate of 24.6 suicide deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Loir-et-Cher was among the 10 metropolitan departments with the highest rates.