Hope on the Horizon With Declining Suicide Rates in Europe

A major new study shows Europe's downward trend in suicides. The data suggest that suicide rates are decreasing in 15 countries (including Germany and Italy) and remaining stable in others (including France, Spain, and the United Kingdom). Only Turkey has seen major growth. This work was first presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry in Paris.

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Suicide Rates in Europe

Suicide is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, with over 700,000 suicides reported each year. Suicide rates in Europe have been steadily declining since the turn of the century. Each suicide represents a decision to take one's life and, in theory, may be avoidable. According to EU statistics, suicide accounts for approximately 1.1% of all deaths, implying that approximately 56,000 people die by suicide in the EU each year - more if Europe as a whole is considered.

The new study looked at suicide rates from public databases in 38 European nations between 2011 and 2019. 15 of these countries had a considerable decline in suicides (adjusted for population), while the other 22 saw no change. The only country to record a considerable increase was Turkey, however, the reasons for this remain unknown.

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Reasons Behind the Decline in Suicide: Specialized Interventions and Suicide Prevention Methods

Dr. Anna Gimenez (University of Barcelona) commented, "Our work indicates that suicide rates continued to fall - or at worst remained stable - across Europe from 2011 to 2019." The majority of these occurrences are linked to psychiatric conditions. Many specialized interventions and action plans for suicide prevention have been introduced in several European nations in recent years, and we believe that these have had an impact on suicide patterns. In contrast, in the United States, suicide rates grew by 36% between 2000 and 2018, before beginning to decline. Differences in trends between countries reflect, of course, local society, but they may also represent the adoption of suicide prevention methods in each country.

"We're not certain, but it appears to be the most likely cause. Prior study has demonstrated that implementing these procedures can be helpful; therefore, our next step is to validate that the improvement is due to this direct action," said Dr. Gimenez.

The total suicide rate in Europe (38 nations) fell from 20 fatalities per 100,000 people in 2011 to 16 per 100,000 in 2019, a decline of about 20% in this period. Lithuania, which previously had Europe's highest suicide rate, saw the biggest decline in suicides.

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Implications for Suicide Prevention Worldwide

All European countries have promised to collaborate with the World Health Organization to put in place suicide prevention measures, such as:

• limiting access to suicide means (e.g., pesticides, firearms, and certain medications);
• interacting with the media for responsible suicide reporting;
• fostering socio-emotional life skills in adolescents; and
• early identification, assessment, and ongoing management of anyone affected by suicidal behavior.

"Of course, our analysis led us to 2019; COVID-19 and the recent crisis in Ukraine may alter suicide patterns, but overall the trend in Europe is towards fewer successful suicides," stated co-researcher Dr Giovanna Fico (University of Barcelona).

Professor Philip Gorwood (Ex-President of the European Psychiatric Association and University of Paris) commented, "As different countries deal with the burden of mental diseases, it's interesting to see which strategies are effective and convert into something as important as a decrease in suicidal mortality." As a result, this European study is highly intriguing, demonstrating that there are substantial differences between nations and that, for a very small number of countries, it is indeed possible to lower the number of suicide fatalities per year."

Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, United Kingdom, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and Ukraine had no notable change in suicide rates between 2011 and 2019.

The European Congress of Psychiatry was held in Paris from March 25-28, 2023. With over 4500 attendees, it is Europe's largest psychiatric convention.

Source-Medindia