OBJECTIVE:

to describe suicide characteristics and mortality rates among indigenous and non-indigenous people in Roraima, Brazil.

METHODS:

descriptive study using data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) about the suicides in individuals over 10 years old, recorded in the period from 2009 to 2013; suicide mortality rates were adjusted by sex and age.

RESULTS:

170 suicide cases were reported, being 17.1% among indigenous people; median ages were 24 years among indigenous and 29 among non-indigenous people; four municipalities concentrated 25/29 of the suicides among indigenous people; the 141 suicides among non-indigenous people were distributed in 13/15 municipalities in the state; suicide mortality rates were 15.0/100,000 among indigenous people and 8.6/100,000 among non-indigenous people.

CONCLUSION:

ethnic-racial peculiarities stood out in suicide mortality; among the indigenous people, rates were higher, younger ages prevailed and deaths were concentrated in a smaller number of municipalities, when compared to non-indigenous people.

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