According to the September data published by the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 800,000 people commit suicide every year; every 40 seconds someone dies by suicide. The WHO reports that suicide is the second most common cause of death among people between 15 and 29 years old. 79 percent of global suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries. Photo credit: StockSnap // Pixabay.
Brno, Sep 20 (BD) – According to the latest WHO reports, the Czech Republic stands at 12th place in the sad list of EU countries by suicide rate. The data from Eurostat, the EU statistical office, shows that there were 56,229 suicides in Europe in 2015 (1.1% of the total 5.2 million deaths in the EU). In the Czech Republic the number of recorded suicides was 1,416 in 2015. The Czech Statistical Office (CZSO) reports that the number of people ending their lives by suicide has been declining overall since the 1970s, despite numerous local fluctuations and short-term increases. So far, the lowest annual number of suicide deaths reported by CZSO occurred in 2016, when 1,316 people committed suicide.
The post-war year with the highest number of suicides in the Czech Republic was 1970, with 2,824 deaths. The 1970s in the former Czechoslovakia were characterized by the restoration of the conditions that prevailed before the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968.
Lithuania tops the list of countries with the highest suicide rate in Europe, with 30 suicides per 100,000. Lithuania is followed by Slovenia (21 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants), Latvia and Hungary (both 19 per 100,000). The Czech Republic, with 13.24 suicides per 100,000, is ranked 13th between Finland (13.46) and Sweden (12.33). In 2016, CZSO reported 12.5 suicides per 100 inhabitants. In the second half of the 20th century, the number of male suicides was at least twice the number of suicides by women, CZSO writes.
The overall suicide rate across EU member states stood at 11 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015. At the other end of the spectrum, the lowest rates of suicide were reported in Cyprus (4), Greece (5), Italy (6), the United Kingdom (7), Spain and Malta (both 8).
The WHO emphasises that suicides are preventable and sponsors a worldwide anti-depression and anti-suicide campaign “#LetsTalk”. “If you know someone who may be considering suicide, talk to them about it and encourage them to seek professional help,” said the WHO, who recognize the importance of raising awareness of the public health significance of suicide and attempted suicide in suicide prevention.
The WHO have produced a series of #LetsTalk videos and a guide for people who know somebody who might be considering suicide. “Remember: If you know someone who may be considering suicide, talk to them about it. Listen with an open mind and offer your support,” the WHO advises.
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