Author/Editor		Fountoulakis, Konstantinos N.; Kawohl, Wolfram; Theodorakis, Pavlos N.; Kerkhof, Ad J. F. M.; Navickas, Alvydas; Höschl, Cyril; Lečić-Toševski, Dušica; Sorel, Eliot; Korošec Jagodič, Helena; Pregelj, Peter
Title		Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe
Type		članek
Vol. and No.		Letnik 205, št. 6
Publication year		2014
Volume		str. 486-496
ISSN		0007-1250 - The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science
Language		eng
Abstract		Background It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. Aims The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Method Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. Results There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Conclusions Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.
Keywords		suicide economic crises direct link samomor gospodarska kriza neposredna povezava