Why do people kill themselves? Isn’t that the question we always ask ourselves every time we see another headline describing a suicide?
The last few years have been filled with news about suicides. Shows like “13 Reasons Why”, the death of our beloved celebrities and the ‘Blue Whale challenge’ have all brought suicide to the forefront.
But suicide and mental health remain some of the least talked about topics. Even while researching about this article, I was able to find facts and statistics about suicides in the US but not much about other countries. Mental health issues are not confined to a certain age. As long as we are alive, mental health is an important part of our lives. The rate of suicide has alarmingly increased over the last few years, so much so that the International Association for Suicide Prevention and WHO have collaborated and decided to celebrate September 10 as World Suicide Prevention Day.
Here are some facts about suicide you should know.
1. The Largest Reason For Suicide Is Depression
Although there can be a lot of reasons that drive a person to finally decide on finishing their life, the largest reason is depression. Depression can occur to any person at any stage of their life. According to the WHO, “Close to 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, which is one person every 40 seconds.”
2. Suicide is treatable, But Only If Not Ignored
An article by Ralph. B. Elias says, “Most persons give some warning before attempting suicide, and these warnings should be the signal for preventive action. Centres with trained personnel could prevent many suicides, if the potential victims were recognized and referred early enough.” In simple words, if you can find the cracks before it is too late, you can prevent them from breaking. The signs of a person inclined to suicide could be difficult to point out, but not impossible.
3. Celebrity Suicides
It is not news that we have lost a lot of our beloved celebrities due to suicide. To name a few of them – Chester Bennington and Robin Williams. This makes it clear that anybody can fall prey to suicide.
4. The Suicide Rate Is Growing
News companies such as BBC and NBC are also highlighting the issue of suicide amongst teenagers and students all around the world. There are graphs of the growth of suicide rates every year. According to an article by Peeter Värnik, “The WHO has measured suicide since 1950—shortly after its creation in 1948. The list of countries, which have been leading in suicide rate in the world, is not a long one.”
5. The Most Common Methods For Suicide
There are more than 20 ways that people can end up killing themselves, Nearly 80% of all firearm suicides are committed by white males. The second-most common method for men is hanging; for women, the second-most common method is self-poisoning, including drug overdose.
6. The Country With The Highest Suicide Rate
The 2017 data indicates that Lithuania is the country with the highest suicide rate. The economic crisis in the country could be a reason for unemployment and be leading to depression and high rates of suicides.