The Influence of a Major Disaster on Suicide Risk in the Population

The authors investigated the relationship between the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and suicide risk in
New York City from 1990 to 2006. The average monthly suicide rate over the study period was 0.56 per 100,000
people. The monthly rate after September 2001 was 0.11 per 100,000 people lower as compared to the rate in the
period before. However, the rate of change in suicide was not significantly different before and after the disaster,
and regression discontinuity analysis indicated no change at this date. There was no net change in the suicide
rate in New York City attributable to this disaster, suggesting that factors other than exposure to traumatic events
(e.g., cultural norms, availability of lethal methods) may be key drivers of suicide risk in this context.