Suicide, the Fifth Leading Cause of Death Among Children and Adolescents in the Country / According to Some Research; 250 Children Have Committed Suicide Over Ten Years

There is no official or clear statistics on the exact number of child suicides in the country, and the only official statistics available are from the civil registration office, which states that suicide is the fifth leading cause of death among adolescents and young people in the country. Poverty, educational problems, family conflicts, romantic relationships, abuse, and forced marriage have been the main factors in child suicides in the country. Research by the non-governmental organization for the Defense of Children’s Rights, based on reports published in the media, indicates more than 250 child suicides during the years 2011-2020. 45 percent of suicides occurred between ages 9-14 and 55 percent between ages 15-18.

According to a report by the Hrana news agency, citing Didehnews, it was Ordibehesht of last year when the forensic medicine organization of Tehran Province announced that deaths resulting from rice pill consumption in the country had increased.

According to the organization, in 2019, 220 cases of death resulting from rice pill poisoning were referred to forensic medicine centers in Tehran Province, which represents a 19 percent increase compared to the same period in 2018.

Also, the deputy of medical and laboratory affairs of the country’s forensic medicine organization previously announced the suicide statistics for 2019 as 5,143 people. According to Masoud Ghadi-Pasha, this figure showed approximately 0.8 percent growth compared to 2018.

Based on research by the “Organization for the Defense of Children’s Rights,” there are no official or clear statistics on the number of child suicides in the country, but investigations by this NGO indicate more than 250 child suicides during the years 2011-2020. This is while these statistics only represent the number of suicides that were reported in the media, and the actual number is higher.

The only official statistics available are from the civil registration office, which states that suicide is the fifth leading cause of death among adolescents and young people in the country. In fact, 3.89 percent of deaths in this age group are due to suicide.

Based on the same research, 48 percent of the media-reported suicides during these 10 years were boys and 52 percent were girls.

45 percent of suicides were in the 9-14 age range and 55 percent were in the 15-18 age range. The causes of these suicides are also noteworthy. Poverty accounted for 8 percent, educational problems 26 percent, family conflicts 28 percent, romantic relationships 5 percent, abuse 8 percent, influence from films and videos 5 percent, and 20 percent of suicides were due to forced marriage. Also, the cities of Tehran, Isfahan, and Hamadan had the highest suicide rates.

The simultaneous suicide of four girls in Babol city, the suicide of an 18-year-old boy after hearing his college entrance exam results, the suicide of 11-year-old Mohammad in one of the villages of Hormozgan Province where his brother’s body was found in the water two months later, the suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Ramhormoz, the suicide of a 12-year-old boy in Saadatabad, Tehran, the suicide of a 15-year-old girl in Mashhad, and so on… These are only some of the most prominent news stories that were reported in 2020 and about child and adolescent suicides across Iran and were later confirmed by the country’s organizations.

The share of Iranian adolescents in annual suicides according to the forensic medicine organization has been reported to be more than 7 percent.

Source: Hrana