Introduction:

Currently a population group that has a high risk of suicide are teenagers.

Objective:

To characterize suicide in teenagers in the Department of Putumayo, between the years 1998-2017.

Methods:

A descriptive quantitative investigation was carried out. The information on the deaths came from the country's death records managed by the National Administrative Department of Statistics of the Republic of Colombia which is an anonymous secondary source. Relative and absolute frequency measures were calculated.

Results:

In the period between 1998-2017 there were 174 suicides in teenagers in the Department of Putumayo. 59,1 % were committed by women, 22,4 % had some type of marital union, 77,0 % died of poisoning. The rate was 12,0 (9,6 men and 14,5 women).

Conclusions:

It is concluded that the suicide rates found are high and place this department in the first places of suicide in teenagers in the country, which is why health authorities must implement strategies to mitigate this situation.

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