Suicide in Greece

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Greece has one of the lowest suicide rates of any high-income country. 2010 suicide rates in high-income countries.png
Greece has one of the lowest suicide rates of any high-income country.

Greece is not considered a major suicidal country. Greece was the country with the lowest suicide rate in Europe according to a research done by WHO in 2012. [1] Greek suicide rates are also among the lowest in the world, a fact that is attributed to various factors, such as the mentality of the Greek society and the climate of the country.

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Suicides used to occur more frequently in earlier periods of Greek history, such as during the Greek Civil War of 1946, where many lost their relatives in the war. [2]

Some sources suggest that the number of suicides occurring in Greece may be underestimated. The act may be sometimes concealed by family members for religious or other social reasons. [3]

There are also cases, such as those of Dimitris Christoulas or the 45-year-old teacher Savvas Metoikidis, where their decisions were a form of protest to the current economic situation in Greece.

Suicides in Greece by year [4]
YearNumber
1999381
2000382
2001334
2002323
2003375
2004353
2005400
2006402
2007328
2008373
2009391
2010377
2011477
2012508
2013533
2014565
2015529
2016484
2017465
2018567
2019530


Suicides by region and methods

The region with the highest suicide rate in Greece is Crete, followed by Thessaly and Attica in the second and third place respectively.

The most common suicide methods are hanging and jumping from height. [5]

Gender and age

As in the case of many other countries, the proportion of men (76%) dying from suicide is higher than that of women (24%).

The age groups with the highest frequency are people aged 60-64 and 80 or over. [6]

Suicides of young people include the deaths of the 20-years old judo athlete Eleni Ioannou and 25-years old football player Giannis Koskiniatis in 2004 and 2008 respectively. In 2012, a 36-year old woman also died via suicide by jumping from a 6th floor balcony in Pagrati, Athens. [7]

Greek Intervention Hotline for suicide

There is an organization in Greece that aims to prevent suicide. Those contemplating suicide or know someone who suffers from major depression are encouraged to call the number 1018. [8]

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References

  1. Jakub, Marian. "Suicide rates by country in Europe".
  2. "«Η αυτοκτονία δεν είναι θυσία» (Suicide is no self-sacrifice)". 23 April 2012.
  3. "Ανακοίνωση της Εκκλησίας για την αυτοκτονία στο Σύνταγμα". Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  4. Sources: Hellenic Statistical Authority for years 1999-2016, Hellenic Police' Division of Informatics for years 2017-2018
  5. "Αυξάνονται οι αυτοκτονίες στην Ελλάδα: Οι θλιβεροί αριθμοί (Suicides are increasing in Greece: The sore numbers)". 10 September 2020.
  6. "Στατιστικά στοιχεία παρατηρίου αυτοκτονιών (Statistical data of suicides' observatory)". 14 July 2020.
  7. "Έδωσε τέλος στην ζωή της πέφτοντας από τον 6ο όροφο πολυκατοικίας στο Παγκράτι". 15 November 2012.
  8. "24ωρη γραμμή παρέμβασης για την αυτοκτονία".