Suicides in Greece 2010-2023: Extremely concerning data

Almost every day we read in the mass media about suicides of young people, mostly, and surely each of them causes us deep sorrow.

Certainly, an article about suicides is extremely distressing and depressing for the writer, as well as for all those who will read it. We will present official data on suicides in Greece for the decade 2010 – 2020, as well as the most recent data, those of 2023. It is worth mentioning that some deaths that were considered accidents or attributed to pathological causes, for various reasons, mainly religious and social, were not included in suicides, although they were acts of self-harm. This number is 15% – 20% of suicides worldwide and should be added to the tragic list…

Suicides in Greece between 2010 and 2020

For the prevention of suicides, the contribution of the “Klimaka” is very important. It is a Human and Social Capital Development Agency to Address Social Exclusion. As part of its activities, “Klimaka” has created a “DAY CENTER FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION” with a 24-hour intervention hotline for suicide: 1018.

The number of suicides in Greece between 2010 and 2020 started from 337 in 2010, the year considered the starting point of the economic crisis, and presented an increasing trend reaching high numbers (565 suicides in 2014). In 2015, there was a slight decrease in the number of suicides (529), while in the following years, suicides reached their highest number (567 in 2018), to decrease significantly in 2020 (464 suicides). As clearly shown in this table, the overwhelming majority of people who end their lives are men. The number of women who committed suicide each year between 2010 and 2020 was generally 20% – 25% of the men who resorted to the desperate act.

Detailed data on suicides in Greece for the years 2021 and 2022

In 2021, the number of suicides was almost equal to the number of suicides in 2020. Specifically, 467 individuals ended their lives in 2021. 83% of the suicides were men, and only 17% were women. In 2022, there was a surge in the number of suicides, reaching 600. According to “Klimaka”, 78% of the suicides in 2022 were men, and 22% were women. The relevant table also records the methods by which our fellow human beings ended their lives in 2021. Most men who ended their lives in 2021 were between 60 and 64 years old, while most women who committed suicide were much younger (35 – 39 years old).

17% of the suicides in 2022 occurred in Crete, followed by Central Macedonia. Crete has been leading in suicides for about a decade. This is a worrying fact that should concern the authorities. The majority of suicides in 2022 occurred during the summer months (June – July – August).

Data for suicides in 2023

But what happened in 2023? According to the data presented in the excellent reports of “Klimaka”, suicides until late 2023 were about 460 (not all data from December were recorded). Again, men overwhelmingly constituted the majority of individuals who ended their lives (81.6%), while women were 18.4% of those who committed suicide. In 2023, individuals between 55 and 59 years old accounted for the age group where most suicides were recorded. 10% of the individuals who committed suicide left a note before ending their lives. Unfortunately, in 2023, Crete was still the first in the number of suicides.

List of countries by suicide rate (per 100,000 people)

There is a very interesting article on Wikipedia that presents a list of countries by suicide rate, mainly based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO). In this list, there is data for Greece from 2009. At that time, about 350 individuals ended their lives. The ratio of men to women who committed suicide was approximately 6:1. Greece ranked 87th out of 110 in this list. However, as we saw, in the following years, the number of suicides increased significantly, with some years nearly doubling. It is interesting to note that Greenland ranks first in this grim list…

Conclusion

Scientific studies have shown that suicides can be prevented with substantial and low-cost interventions. However, this presupposes coordinated actions, initiatives, and responsibilities at every level of society. Unfortunately, Greece is one of the few countries in Europe that has not taken any institutional initiative to protect individuals with suicidal tendencies, thoughts, and behaviors. This often makes it difficult for mental health services to comply with global standards.

Furthermore, there is no National Action Plan for suicide prevention and a comprehensive national strategy, which prevents the alignment of the country’s public health policies with those of European states. Suicides constitute a major public health issue as outlined in WHO guidelines since 1990. Yet, Greek governments remain indifferent and unresponsive to this important and highly sensitive issue. They have not taken steps to develop a national strategy, resulting in individuals with suicidal thoughts and behaviors often being left unprotected and driven to suicide.

It is unacceptable and tragic for such a thing to happen in 2024. Unfortunately, although science has advanced, specialists in psychological and psychiatric problems have multiplied, new drugs without side effects can significantly help people with suicidal thoughts, we see that suicides are increasing. Unemployment, economic difficulties or failures, unhappy love affairs, loneliness, and lack of communication are considered the main reasons that lead hundreds of people in our country to suicide every year.

The institution of the family, which is ridiculed,criticized or questioned by some allegedly “progressive” groups and individuals, has been in crisis in recent decades, and this does not help at all the new children who grow up with one parent or in families resulting from second or even third marriages. However, parents, relatives, and friends should help individuals showing suicidal tendencies in every way and ensure their examination and monitoring by specialists. Saving a human life will be significant. And the state should stop merely recording the number of suicides.

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