Suicide of Australians during the Vietnam War.

<bold>Objectives: </bold>National suicide rates fall during times of war. This fits with the notion of the population coming together against a common foe. But, what happens in the case of a war which is not fully supported, which draws the population and families apart? We consider this question by examining the Australian suicide rates during the divisive Vietnam War.<bold>Methods: </bold>We graphed and examined the Australian suicide figures for 1921-2010.<bold>Results: </bold>We found clear evidence of a decrease in the suicide rate for World War II (consistent with other studies), but a marked elevation of suicide during the Vietnam War.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>The elevation of the Australian suicide rate during the Vietnam War is consistent with Durkheim's social integration model - when social integration is lessened, either by individual characteristics or societal characteristics, the risk of suicide rises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]