DAVID SOWBY,
Sir, - The diagram in your edition of May 3rd showing the numbers of deaths from suicide doesn't tell the whole story. It merely shows the total number of suicides in each age group. At first glance it appears to indicate that the suicide rate decreases markedly with age.
However, a different picture appears when the numbers of suicides are expressed per million of the age group. In this case two points emerge:
1. The suicide rate for males doesn't decrease as rapidly as the raw data indicate.
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2. The rate for females is much lower than for males, especially at younger ages. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID SOWBY,
Knocksinna Crescent,
Dublin 18.