http://www.theguardian.com/society/...s-45000-suicides-a-year-worldwide-finds-study
Unemployment in good times or bad is a far bigger factor in suicides than an economic crisis, accounting for nine times as many deaths, according to a study.
The recent economic downturn has caused about 5,000 deaths in 63 countries, whereas unemployment over the period 2000 to 2011 was responsible for 45,000, an analysis in the journal Lancet Psychiatry has found.
The authors say their findings suggest that suicide prevention strategies need to target those who lose their jobs even in countries unaffected by recession. They found the suicide risk among the unemployed was stronger where more people were in work and the situation of the jobless was therefore more unusual.
According to lead author Dr Carlos Nordt, of Zurich University’s Psychiatric Hospital, it is not just losing a job but the stressful and uncertain months before it happens, when companies might be looking to make redundancies, that cause suicides.
“Our findings reveal that the suicide rate increases six months before a rise in unemployment. What is more, our data suggests that not all job losses necessarily have an equal impact, as the effect on suicide risk appears to be stronger in countries where being out of work is uncommon.
“It is possible that an unexpected increase in the unemployment rate may trigger greater fears and insecurity than in countries with higher pre-crisis unemployment levels.”
Between 2000 and 2011, the relative risk of suicide associated with unemployment rose by 20% to 30% in all regions, the paper says. Of an estimated 233,000 suicides each year in the 63 countries, which range from Kyrgyzstan to Japan, Russia, Romania, Denmark, Germany, the UK, Mexico, Canada and the US, one in five were due to unemployment.
Unemployment in good times or bad is a far bigger factor in suicides than an economic crisis, accounting for nine times as many deaths, according to a study.
The recent economic downturn has caused about 5,000 deaths in 63 countries, whereas unemployment over the period 2000 to 2011 was responsible for 45,000, an analysis in the journal Lancet Psychiatry has found.
The authors say their findings suggest that suicide prevention strategies need to target those who lose their jobs even in countries unaffected by recession. They found the suicide risk among the unemployed was stronger where more people were in work and the situation of the jobless was therefore more unusual.
According to lead author Dr Carlos Nordt, of Zurich University’s Psychiatric Hospital, it is not just losing a job but the stressful and uncertain months before it happens, when companies might be looking to make redundancies, that cause suicides.
“Our findings reveal that the suicide rate increases six months before a rise in unemployment. What is more, our data suggests that not all job losses necessarily have an equal impact, as the effect on suicide risk appears to be stronger in countries where being out of work is uncommon.
“It is possible that an unexpected increase in the unemployment rate may trigger greater fears and insecurity than in countries with higher pre-crisis unemployment levels.”
Between 2000 and 2011, the relative risk of suicide associated with unemployment rose by 20% to 30% in all regions, the paper says. Of an estimated 233,000 suicides each year in the 63 countries, which range from Kyrgyzstan to Japan, Russia, Romania, Denmark, Germany, the UK, Mexico, Canada and the US, one in five were due to unemployment.
