Suicide in the World (original) (raw)

Suicide rates in the world: Update

Archives of Suicide Research, 1999

Introduction: Over the past 20 years the WHO has considerably improved world mortality data. There are still shortcomings but more countries now report data and world-wide estimates are regularly made. Methods: Data about mortality have been retrieved from the WHO world database. Worldwide injury mortality estimates for 2008 as well as trends of the suicide rate from 1950 to 2009 were analysed. Results: Suicides in the world amount to 782 thousand in 2008 according to the WHO estimate, which is 1.4% of total mortality and 15% of injury mortality. The suicide rate for the world as a whole is estimated at 11.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. The male-female rate ratio of suicide is estimated to be highest in the European Region (4.0) and the lowest in the Eastern Mediterranean region (1.1). Among males the highest suicide rate in the 15-29 age group is in the SE Asian region, in the 45-59 age group in European males and for ages above 60 in the Western Pacific region. Females from SE Asia have a remarkably high suicide rate among 15-29-year-olds and from age 45 in the Western Pacific region. The leading country is currently Lithuania, with a suicide rate of 34.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. Also among males the suicide rate is the highest in Lithuania at 61.2. Among females South Korea with 22.1 is at the top of world suicide rates. Conclusions: During the past six decades, according to the WHO Japan, Hungary, and Lithuania have topped the list of world countries by suicide rate, but if the current trends continue South Korea will overtake all others in a few years. The heart of the problem of suicide mortality has shifted from Western Europe to Eastern Europe and now seems to be shifting to Asia. China and India are the biggest contributors to the absolute number of suicides in the world.

Causes and severity of suicide in developed nations of East Asia

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 2017

It is considered that people from poor countries get depressed which ultimately leads to suicide. It is estimated that one million people commit suicide every year worldwide. It is considered from statistics that global annual suicide fatalities could rise to 1.5 million by 2020. Economically and culturally the most influential countries of East Asia are China, Japan and South Korea. To find the underlying causes for such a high suicide rate was the basic purpose of this article. We selected 100 suicide research articles as well as World Health Organisation's statistics related to suicide in East Asian countries. Stress and insecurity, whether related to employment or in relationship, are the basic causes which ultimately take an individual to the verge of suicide. Some people also find suicide a mean to get rid of life due to some lethal diseases. Aged persons consider themselves out of life so they adopt suicide. The government has already taken serious steps to minimise the d...

Global Suicide: the problem of health systems

International Archives of Medicine, 2015

It is estimated that over 800 000 people die by suicide and that there are many suicide attempts for each death. Young people are among those most affected. The numbers differ between countries, but it is the low-and middle-income countries that bear most of the global suicide burden, with an estimated 75% of all suicides occurring in these countries. The importance of each risk factor and the way it is classified will depend on each context. These factors can contribute to suicidal behaviours directly but can also contribute indirectly by influencing individual susceptibility to mental disorders. From the analysis of the rate of suicide, the numbers of suicide preventions successful with the number of hospitalizations and hospitalized for attempted suicide, it becomes possible to determine a path in order to create social change in three important factors to be followed to be fulfilled: knowledge (scientific and practical), public support (political will) and a social strategy, showing up as a national response to achieve the goals of suicide prevention.

Suicide In The World: An Overview Of Prevalence And Its Risk Factors

International Archives of Medicine, 2015

Suicide is a complex and multi-causal phenomenon, thats why it can't be understood in a generalized way, but in different profiles such as gender, age, social support and other psychiatric disorders. It is a major public health problem worldwide and more than 1 million people die from suicide every year. This world problem demands hybrid preventive acts in several aspects, such as social, interpersonal and from the government.

Global, regional, and national burden of suicide mortality 1990 to 2016: systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

BMJ, 2019

Objectives To use the estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 to describe patterns of suicide mortality globally, regionally, and for 195 countries and territories by age, sex, and Socio-demographic index, and to describe temporal trends between 1990 and 2016. Design Systematic analysis. Main outcome measures Crude and age standardised rates from suicide mortality and years of life lost were compared across regions and countries, and by age, sex, and Socio-demographic index (a composite measure of fertility, income, and education). Results The total number of deaths from suicide increased by 6.7% (95% uncertainty interval 0.4% to 15.6%) globally over the 27 year study period to 817 000 (762 000 to 884 000) deaths in 2016. However, the age standardised mortality rate for suicide decreased by 32.7% (27.2% to 36.6%) worldwide between 1990 and 2016, similar to the decline in the global age standardised mortality rate of 30.6%. Suicide was the leading cause of age standardised years of life lost in the Global Burden of Disease region of high income Asia Pacific and was among the top 10 leading causes in eastern Europe, central Europe, western Europe, central Asia, Australasia, southern Latin America, and high income North America. Rates for men were higher than for women across regions, countries, and age groups, except for the 15 to 19 age group. There was variation in the female to male ratio, with higher ratios at lower levels of Socio-demographic index. Women experienced greater decreases in mortality rates (49.0%, 95% uncertainty interval 42.6% to 54.6%) than men (23.8%, 15.6% to 32.7%). Conclusions Age standardised mortality rates for suicide have greatly reduced since 1990, but suicide remains an important contributor to mortality worldwide. Suicide mortality was variable across locations, between sexes, and between age groups. Suicide prevention strategies can be targeted towards vulnerable populations if they are informed by variations in mortality rates.

Inter-regional variations in suicide rates

Psychiatria Danubina, 2012

Suicidal behaviour is a significant public health problem. Suicide alone represents the 10th leading cause of death worldwide. Suicide is a complex phenomenon and may be the result of an interaction of biological, psychological and socioeconomic factors. Although there are many differences in suicide rates between different countries in the world, some studies reported huge differences of suicide rates between different regions within the same country as well. The studies that investigated the regional differences in suicide rates were gathered in the present article. The studies revealed that depression frequently remained unidentified and thus untreated and could contribute to high regional suicide rates. It could be speculated that access to services, which increases the possibility of diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, could have an impact on regional suicide rates. Thus the availability of services may be relevant in explaining geographical variations in suicide incid...

International comparison of death place for suicide; a population-level eight country death certificate study

Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2015

The places of death for people who died of suicide were compared across eight countries and socio-demographic factors associated with home suicide deaths identified. Death certificate data were analyzed; using multivariable binary logistic regression to determine associations. National suicide death rates ranged from 1.4 % (Mexico) to 6.4 % (South Korea). The proportion of suicide deaths occurring at home was high, ranging from 29.9 % (South Korea) to 65.8 % (Belgium). Being older, female, widowed/separated, highly educated and living in an urban area were risk factors for home suicide. Home suicide deaths need specific attention in prevention programs.

Suicide: current trends

Journal of the National Medical Association, 2011

Suicide is the act of a human being intentionally causing his or her own death. More than 1 million people commit suicide every year. It is the 13th leading cause of death worldwide, with China, India, and Japan accounting for almost half of all suicides. In less than 50 years, the rate of suicide among Sri Lankans has risen from a modest level to one of the highest in the world (118 per 100,000). Suicide is a major preventable cause of premature death. It is influenced by psychosocial, cultural, and environmental risk factors. The impact of suicide can be devastating for all concerned. It is common in people who are living with chronic mental illness. Individuals with severe clinical depression and alcohol use disorders are at highest risk if untreated. On an interpersonal level, friends and families of suicide victims require social support. On a national level, governments need to recognize the causes of suicide and protect those most vulnerable. If governments commit to defining...