Employment insecurity, mental health and suicide

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Mental Health Research

Background:

• Reports indicate rising suicidality across Europe, particularly in Greece, coinciding with economic crises.
• Existing literature suggests a link between economic downturns and increased suicide rates, but causality is debated.
• Media and scientific discourse often portray economic crises as generic risk factors affecting the general population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between economic crises and suicide rates.
• To challenge the notion of economic crises as a universal risk factor for suicide.
• To explore alternative explanations for increased suicidality during economic downturns, focusing on vulnerable populations.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on economic crises and suicide rates.
• Analysis of age and gender-specific suicide rates in Greece.
• Comparison of suicide trends in countries with varying economic conditions and unemployment levels.

Main Results:

• Some studies indicate suicides increased *before* unemployment rose, questioning direct causality.
• Age and gender-specific suicide data in Greece do not fully support a simple male-unemployment interaction.
• Suicide rates have also risen in prosperous countries without high unemployment, suggesting broader socioeconomic factors.

Conclusions:

• Economic crises may not be a direct, generic cause of increased suicides.
• The rise in suicides could be linked to the overstressing of vulnerable populations, such as individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions.
• Current public health strategies may be insufficient as they often overlook at-risk individuals, treating them as part of the general population.