Suicide and tuberculosis mortality: a comparative analysis of time series

Until recently tuberculosis mortality and the suicide rates in Russia were among the highest in the world. Tuberculosis and suicide belong to the medico-social problems and these epidemiological parameters are often considered indicators of psychosocial distress. There are theoretical premises and empirical evidence which suggest the positive relationship between suicide and tuberculosis mortality at individual and population levels. Aim. The aim of the present study was to find out a link between the epidemiological parameters of tuberculosis and the suicide rates in Russia. Materials and Methods. Trends in tuberculosis incidence/mortality and the suicide rates from 1980 to 2015 were analyzed using a time series analysis in order to asses bivariate relationship between the time series. Results. The results of analysis indicate the presence of a statistically significant association between tuberculosis mortality and suicide rates for men at lag zero (r=0.71: SE=0.169). The association between tuberculosis mortality and suicide rates for women was also positive, but statistically not significant (r=0.26: SE=0.169). Conclusions. The results of this study suggest positive aggregate-level relationship between tuberculosis mortality and suicide rates in men. This study indirectly supports the hypothesis that tuberculosis mortality can be considered an indicator of psychosocial distress.