Suicide in Mozambique

Suicide in Mozambique is a significant national social issue. It has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, ranking as the 9th highest suicide rate in the world in 2019 according to the 2019 World Health Organization report. ^[1] Mozambique's mental health infrastructure is considerably understaffed, with only 13 psychiatrists.^{[ citation needed ]}

Incidence

Data regarding suicide in Mozambique, like that of the rest of Africa, is limited. In 2011, there were 2,667 recorded suicides in Mozambique, accounting for approximately 0.9% of all deaths in the country for that year. Nonetheless, the country's suicide rate of 18 per 100,000 was the 19th-highest in 2011; it increased to sixth-highest in 2015. ^[2] According to a 2014 report, Mozambique had the most suicides in the entire African continent. ^[3]

Methodology and prevention

According to a 2014 study, the most common suicide methods for males and females were hanging and ingesting toxic substances respectively. ^[4] With only 13 psychiatrists in the entire country with a population of some 28 million people, Mozambique is poorly equipped to tackle its suicide rate. ^[5]

References

1. "Suicide rate estimates, age-standardized Estimates by WHO region". World Health Organization . Retrieved 19 February 2025.
2. Ronald W. Maris (4 March 2019). Suicidology. Guilford Publications. pp. 145–. ISBN   978-1-4625-3698-6.
3. "Mozambique 'No 1 suicide nation in Africa'". eNCa. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
4. Wagenaar, B. H.; Raunig-Berhó, M.; Cumbe, V.; Rao, D.; Napúa, M.; Sherr, K. (2016). "Suicide attempts and deaths in Sofala, Mozambique, from 2011 to 2014: Who, where, and from what". The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention. 37 (6): 445–453. PMC   5133176 .
5. Bernstein, Carole. "Tangling with the Science of Suicide". Penn Medicine News. Retrieved 7 May 2020.