Introduction Nearly 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, with anywhere from 10 to 20 million suicide attempts annually. Suicide is the process of purposely ending one's own life which shatters the lives of family and friends.

Methods In a 7 year survey from 21 March 2002 to 20 March 2009 all hospitals admitted suicidal cases from all hospitals of Iran medical university in Tehran were included in our study. The cases were both from public and private hospitals.

Results Overall 12 224 cases were admitted during 7 years, in most cases there was no single or clear reason for why he decided to suicide. The most common type of suicide was drug abuse (taking high doses of legal or illegal drugs) and the less was electrical shock. The most common age was 21–30 years old followed by 16–20. Females attempted and dead much more often by means of suicide than do males (60% vs 40%). Single had more suicidal behaviours than married.

Recommendation There are two central components of successful prevention programs. The first is case-finding; means to find individuals who are at risk, referring them and making sure they get appropriate care. The second is risk reduction or primary prevention by reducing the risks for suicide and suicidal behaviour in the general population. Community prevention efforts should focus on primary prevention from childhood because behaviours that contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among adults often are established during childhood.