Suicide in Belarus is a common cause of unnatural death in the country, which in 2016 ranked in the top 10 worldwide by its total suicide per 100,000 people. Prior to the 1998 Russian financial crisis, suicide numbers had been decreasing year-upon-year, yet saw a noticeable increase in the years following.
Causes Figures suggest that there is a correlation between alcohol consumption and suicide rates in Belarus; most people who committed or attempted suicide had been abusing alcohol for at least a year prior to their death. Alcohol is very cheap to purchase in Belarus, making it readily available and compounding the problem. Belarusians tend not to seek help or counseling if in need of support as they remain afraid of being on record as receiving psychiatric treatment, resulting in around 90% of people who committed suicide never having sought psychiatric support.
The most common suicide method is by hanging or jumping, accounting for around 80% of the total number of suicides.
Statistics Statistics in 2012 showed that a greater number of Belarusians committed suicide than those that died from road traffic accidents. A large number of the country's suicides occur in rural areas, in contrast to other higher ranking countries.
Suicide rates (per 100,000), by gender, Belarus, 1981-2009 Gender 1981 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2007 2009 Male 43.0 40.6 34.5 56.1 63.6 63.3 48.7 49.6 Female 8.7 8.0 8.0 9.4 9.5 10.3 8.8 9.8 Total 24.6 19.1 20.4 31.2 34.9 35.1 27.4 28.4Source: World Health Organization
Number of suicides by age group and gender, Belarus, 2009 Age (years) 5-14 15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ All Males 9 270 445 439 464 282 184 145 2238 Females 3 45 74 69 96 64 80 74 505 Total 12 315 519 508 560 346 264 219 2743Source: World Health Organization
See also
Healthcare in Belarus Suicide in Russia
References