World Suicide Prevention Day is taking place this September 10th with the theme working together to prevent suicide.
Over 800,000 people die by suicide annually, representing 1 person every 40 seconds.
- Suicide is the 15th leading cause of death globally, accounting for 1.4% of all deaths
- The global suicide rate is 11.4 per 100 000 population
- Suicide is the leading cause of death in people aged 15-24 in many European countries
- Globally suicide rates among this age group are higher in males than females
- Self-harm largely occurs among older adolescents, and globally is the 2nd leading cause of death for older adolescent girls
- In 2012, 76% of global suicide occurred in low- and middle-income countries 39% of which occurred in the South-East Asia Region
- In an additional 20 countries suicide attempters may be punished with jail sentences, according to Sharia law
- In 25 countries (within WHO member states) suicide is currently still criminalized
- Suicide is the result of a convergence of risk factors including but not limited to genetic, psychological, social and cultural risk factors, sometimes combined with experiences of trauma and loss
- Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder in people who die by suicide
- 50% of individuals in high income countries who die by suicide have major depressive disorder at their time of death
- For every 1 suicide 25 people make a suicide attempt
- 135 people are affected by each suicide death
- This equates to 108 million people bereaved by suicide worldwide every year