Greece Suicide Rate Up 45 Percent Between 2007-11: Study
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Suicides in Greece spiked dramatically during the first four years of the financial crisis, said a mental health aid group on Tuesday, warning that there were indications of a further “very large rise” over the last two years.
Using data from the Greek Statistical Authority, the Athens-based group Klimaka found that officially reported suicides had risen steadily between 2007 and 2011, accounting for a 45 percent in deaths during that period – from 328 to 477 per annum.
Suicides in Greece spiked dramatically during the first four years of the financial crisis, said a mental health aid group on Tuesday, warning that there were indications of a further “very large rise” over the last two years.
Using data from the Greek Statistical Authority, the Athens-based group Klimaka found that officially reported suicides had risen steadily between 2007 and 2011, accounting for a 45 percent in deaths during that period – from 328 to 477 per annum.
Klimaka also said that, based on its own research, the number of suicides had continued to rise through 2012 and 2013, owing to the dramatic rise in poverty and unemployment caused by the nation’s austerity measures.
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According to Aris Violatzis, head psychiatrist at Klimaka, his organisation’s research, which gathered suicide data from families of victims, local churches, funeral homes and other sources, as well as official statistics, painted a more accurate figure than the government data on suicide figures.
“The official stats are generally lagging. Our data suggests a very large rise. We are talking about specific individuals whose names and circumstances have been recorded,” Violatzis said to the Associated Press.
[quote]”For every suicide death, there are some 30 attempts by others,” Violatzis added. “So we are creating a growing bank of people who are potentially suicidal. That is a long term problem.”[/quote]Before the financial crisis began, Greece actually had the lowest suicide rate in Europe at 2.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. Although Greece still has one of the lowest suicide rates in Europe, the growing number has worried mental aid and humanitarian groups.
Klimaka said that some 43 percent of suicide deaths in 2011 involved unemployed people, while 25.7 percent of hotline callers with suicidal thoughts last year said they were experiencing serious financial difficulties.
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Meanwhile, a 2012 report also suggested that usage of anti-depressant drugs in the Greek capital of Athens had increased by 25 percent that year, while the rate was up by 18 percent nationwide.
Klimaka has urged the government to create a national strategy against the rise in suicides, with improved data gathering and training for police and health care workers.
