Spike in suicide rate in Europe and US linked to financial crisis

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debt, recession, redundancy, suicide, unemployment

Spike in suicide rate in Europe and US linked to financial crisis

Thousands of suicides are linked to the global financial crisis, with particularly high numbers of people killing themselves in countries suffering heavy job losses as austerity bites, an international study has concluded.

The research found there were about 5,000 more self-inflicted deaths in Europe and North America in 2009 – the first year after the banking crash triggered economic turmoil – than would have been expected in normal times.

Britain shared in the distressing trend, suffering 300 extra suicides in 2009, according to a study published last night by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Researchers blamed the spike in suicides on soaring dole queues – an estimated 34 million people worldwide lost their jobs during the crisis – as well as bankruptcies and housing repossessions. According to their analysis of suicide rates in 45 countries in Europe and North America, young men aged between 15 and 24 were particularly vulnerable.

“Men are more likely to be the main earner in the family and thus more affected by the recession than women. They might experience a greater degree of shame in the face of unemployment and are less likely to seek help,” their report said.

They said there was evidence that numbers of self-inflicted deaths increased sharply in countries where unemployment had been relatively low before the credit crunch.

And the researchers, from universities in Bristol, Oxford and Hong Kong, warned they could still be underestimating the extent of the problem as some countries hit hard by the financial crash were excluded from their study.

They added: “The rise in the number of suicides is only a small part of the emotional distress caused by the economic downturn. Non-fatal suicide attempts could be 40 times more common than completed suicides and for every suicide attempt about ten people experience suicidal thoughts.”

The Samaritans said the conclusions chimed with their experience of dealing with suicidal and deeply depressed callers who were increasingly raising problems with redundancy, debt and mortgage repayments.

A spokesman for the organisation said: “It is no surprise to us to be told suicides rise during recessions. A snapshot survey of calls to our branches in 2008, just before the current recession began, showed that one in 10 callers talked  about financial difficulties.

“That had risen to one in six at the end of last year. Clearly this is a factor governments need to keep in mind when planning for economic downturns.”

The Samaritans’ own research suggested that middle-aged men from disadvantaged backgrounds are at highest risk of suicide. They are up to  10 times more likely to kill themselves than men living in Britain’s most affluent areas.

Richard Garside, director of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, said research showed economic shocks were “seriously bad for the health”.

He said: “When people face economic hardship, and the stress and uncertainty that comes in its wake, they can react in different ways. Some will take it out on others, getting into fights, assaulting their partners, perpetrating homicides.

“Violence can also be turned inwards, leading to depression, distress and, for some, suicide.

“Whatever the economic arguments in favour of austerity, the rise in suicide rates is one of the clearest signs of its human cost,” Mr Garside added.

Official figures show that 4,331 people committed suicide in Britain in 2008 – a sharp rise of 246 on the previous year and a reversal of the general trend over the previous decade – and 4,304 in 2009. The rate fell to 4,231 in 2010, but climbed again to 4,552 in 2011.

The findings echo documented increases in suicide in previous downturns, such as the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s.

Also:

Loneliness, relationship problems and money troubles: The Samaritans reveal what is troubling modern man

Stigma of mental ill health is ‘worse than the illness’

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anxiety, barriers, Depression, discrimination, economy, employment, mental health issues, psychotherapy, recession, relationships, stigma, Therapy, treatment

Stigma of mental ill health is ‘worse than the illness’

It is the single biggest cause of disability in the Western world but many sufferers say the stigma attached to it is worse than the illness itself, according to researchers.

While celebrity sufferers who speak out about their depression are hailed as heroes, ordinary citizens are shunned, taunted and abused.

An international study of more than 1,000 sufferers in 35 countries has found that three quarters said they had been ostracised by other people leading them to avoid relationships, applying for jobs and contacting friends.

Discrimination is leading many to put off seeking treatment with a subsequent worsening of their condition.

Drugs and psychotherapy can help 60-80 per cent of people with depression but only half get treatment and only 10 per cent receive treatment that is effective – at the right dose, for long enough and with the right kind of therapy.

The international study published in The Lancet found that levels of discrimination were similar to those for schizophrenia revealed in a similar study three years ago.

Professor Graham Thornicroft, head of health service and population research at the Institute of Psychiatry said: “We have a major problem here. Non-disclosure is an extra barrier – it means people don’t seek treatment and don’t get help.”

While public confessions of depression by well known people including the tennis champion Serena Williams, the US actress Kirsten Dunst and chat-show host Stephen Fry were increasing, abuse of sufferers was also widespread.

The Norwegian Prime Minister, Kjell Bondevik, attracted worldwide approval when he relinquished power for three weeks to his deputy in 1998 while he recovered from an episode of depression. He was subsequently re-elected.

In contrast, Professor Thornicroft described the case of a woman who had dog faeces posted through her door because neighbours wanted her out and another in which police halted an interview with a man whose flat had been burgled when they learnt that he had been in psychiatric hospital.

“Our findings show discrimination is widespread and almost certainly acts as a barrier to an active social life and having a fair chance to get and keep a job,” he said.

The Government’s Time to Change campaign launched in 2008 aimed at reducing discrimination against people with mental illness had proved to have had a “modest but significant” impact, he added.

In a separate study, researchers have found that the 2008 economic crash led to a deterioration in the mental health of men – but not women.

Anxiety and depression increased markedly among men in the three years following the crash, but women escaped largely unscathed.

Rising unemployment and falling income are not to blame, the researchers say. Instead, job insecurity is thought to be the cause.

Mental ill health among men rose from 13.7 per cent in 2008 to 16.4 per cent in 2009 before falling back to 15.5 per cent in 2010, according to the study published in the journal BMJ Open.

Men derive much of their social status from their occupation and are still the main wage earners in most families. They are becoming more mentally unstable because of the fear of losing their jobs in the recession.

The authors from the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit in Glasgow, say that while women’s mental health appeared to change little in the period it may have deteriorated since due to job cuts in the public sector.

 

Suicide on the rise among older men

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Children, Depression, mental health issues, older men, recession, relationships

Suicide on the rise among older men

The number of suicides and prevalence of suicidal tendencies is rising faster among older men than in any other age group, according to research released in the week the government postponed its suicide prevention strategy.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that the number of suicides among men aged over 55 has risen by 12% over the past decade, while suicides by men aged under 34 dropped by 30%. The mental health charity Calm said men aged 45 to 54 were still most likely to seriously consider taking their own life.

Charities and mental health experts are concerned that across all age ranges there are far more male than female suicides.

Jane Powell, the Calm chief executive, speculated that the recession might be having more of an impact on older men.

“If you are middle-aged just now and your job and life prospects are diminishing then this is tough,” she said. “There is work to show that the impact of unemployment hits men harder, and later on in life; that it’s easier for women whose lives are not necessarily defined by work and for whom part-time or temporary work isn’t by definition bad.

“Our research shows that thinking about suicide is more common than we realise, and that men and women are almost equally liable to feel suicidal. What is significant is that more men actually go on to take their lives.”

Official statistics show that 4,517 people in England and Wales killed themselves in 2010, of whom 75% were men.

Powell said there were two reasons for the discrepancy. “First, because men are by default supposed to be in control, in charge at all times and so therefore needing help is by definition unmanly.

“And second because all too often men don’t recognise what the problem is – they’ll feel out of control, angry with everything, find that their life is out of focus, not be interested in what’s happening around them – and they won’t recognise that they are depressed. And because as a man they’re supposed to be invulnerable, then suddenly the options they have of getting out of their situation start to look very slim.”

Calm, which began as a Department of Health initiative in 1997 and became a charity in 2006, has traditionally focused on reducing suicide among young men. Now it is changing its remit to include the older generation.

According to a YouGov survey carried for Calm of adults who had considered taking their own lives, a key driver was relationship status. The number of children in a household was also a factor with 18% of men with one child expressing suicidal thoughts, compared with 27% with three or more children. The government planned to launch its suicide prevention strategy last week but postponed the initiative until September.

Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of Samaritans, said: “There is strong evidence to show that interventions to support people at risk of suicide make a difference. However, it is often the case that services are failing to reach and engage men, which is why Samaritans launched a campaign in late 2010 to target working-class men who are the most at risk.

“Suicide is preventable and requires the action of multiple government departments. We welcome the forthcoming suicide prevention strategy for England and hope that it will continue to be a catalyst for change. To make a real impact, however, the strategy requires commitment from the public, private and voluntary sectors, as well as government.”

Last week it emerged that people in Manchester were more likely to kill themselves than in any other city. At a public meeting called by Manchester Users Network, a group for people with mental health issues, participants criticised cuts to services, in particular community centres, which act as lifelines to people with depression.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “The government is taking strong action on suicide prevention. We have been listening to families who have sadly been bereaved following a suicide, and have called upon experts in healthcare, criminal justice and transport to help us put together a new suicide prevention strategy for England to help save lives. We have considered all the responses received, and intend to publish our plans in September.”