The method of suicide refers to how the individual carries out the suicide. This can be influenced by the availability, acceptability, and lethality of a given method. An individual’s age and sex can also influence the method of suicide that an individual uses.
Figure 27. Nearly half of Wisconsin residents who died by suicide between 2013 and 2017 died from firearm injury. Nearly 1 in 3 Wisconsin suicides during this time period were suffocation injuries (which include hanging, strangulation, and suffocation). Almost 1 in 6 Wisconsin suicides were poisoning deaths.
Figure 29. The mechanism of injury used in suicide deaths is also associated with the age of the individual who died by suicide. The proportion of suicide by firearm increases with age, while the proportion of suicide by suffocation decreases with age. Suicide by poisoning peaks at ages 45–54.