[Railroad suicides and attempted suicides in Austria 1990-1994. Extending the hypothesis mass media transmission of suicidal behavior].

Suicide on railways (either by being run over by or jumping in front of a train) is one of the "hardest' suicide methods. In Austria, 617 suicides or attempted suicides on railways were registered between 1990 and 1994. This amounts to 5.73% of all suicides committed in this period with women showing a higher percentage than men. In both men and women there was a predominance of younger age groups; the mean age was higher in women than in men (48.0 vs 40.4 years). There was a significant increase in suicides or attempted suicides on railways after a television report on the stress suffered by train drivers concerning possible suicides. Persuading the mass media to treat the subject of "suicide' with reserve and with greater caution, even when not presenting a distinct suicide model, may be of importance in general suicide prevention.