World Health Organization: One Person Commits Suicide Every 40 Seconds
September 10th is Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organization states that 800,000 people commit suicide annually worldwide, yet preventive measures are lacking in many countries. Suicide rates are rising in Iran.
Suicide is counted among the leading causes of death in global mortality statistics. The Director-General of the World Health Organization says developed countries have the highest suicide rates: “11.5 per 100,000 people.”
This organization states that suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29, with only traffic accidents claiming more young lives.
The WHO Director reminds that suicide is preventable and urges all countries to incorporate proven methods to ensure mental health of citizens in their national programs.
Easy access to firearms and lethal chemical substances such as pesticides (rice pills in Iran) are factors that increase successful suicide attempts. The World Health Organization simultaneously urges governments to protect young people from stress and anxiety and to provide compassionate and patient care to suicide-prone individuals.
Rising Suicide Trend in Iran
The Director of the Suicide Prevention Program at the Mental Health Office of Iran’s Ministry of Health states that suicide statistics showed an increasing trend from 2015 to 2018: “We have had approximately 5 suicide deaths per 100,000 population annually.”
Iran’s news agency IRNA reports from Maryam Abbasi-Nezhad: “75 percent of suicide attempts occurred in the age group 15 to 34 years old, and about 50 percent of these cases were married individuals.”
This Mental Health Office official added that 73 percent of suicide attempts occur in urban and suburban areas and 82 percent of suicide attempts are carried out by drug overdose.
IRNA reports that Sistan and Baluchestan and South Khorasan provinces have the lowest suicide rates among Iranian provinces, while western provinces and major cities have higher rates.
Maryam Abbasi-Nezhad stated that 95 percent of people who commit suicide have psychiatric disorders, depression, or disorders resulting from substance abuse.
Source: DW
