Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011

Konstantinos N. Fountoulakis; Wolfram Kawohl; Pavlos N. Theodorakis; Ad J.F.M. Kerkhof; Alvydas Navickas; Cyril Höschl; Dusica Lecic-Tosevski; Eliot Sorel; Elmars Rancans; Eva Palova; Georg Juckel; Goran Isacsson; Helena Korosec Jagodic; Ileana Botezat-Antonescu; Ingeborg Warnke; Janusz Rybakowski; Jean Michel Azorin; John Cookson; John Waddington; Peter Pregelj; Koen Demyttenaere; Luchezar G. Hranov; Lidija Injac Stevovic; Lucas Pezawas; Marc Adida; Maria Luisa Figuera; Maurizio Pompili; Miro Jakovljević; Monica Vichi; Giulio Perugi; Ole Andrasen; Olivera Vukovic; Paraskevi Mavrogiorgou; Peeter Varnik; Per Bech; Peter Dome; Petr Winkler; Raimo K.R. Salokangas; Tiina From; Vita Danileviciute; Xenia Gonda; Zoltan Rihmer; Jonas Forsman Benhalima; Anne Grady; Anne Katrine Kloster Leadholm; Susan Soendergaard; Carlos Nordt; Juan Lopez-Ibor

doi:10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454

Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011

Konstantinos N. Fountoulakis, Wolfram Kawohl, Pavlos N. Theodorakis, Ad J.F.M. Kerkhof, Alvydas Navickas, Cyril Höschl, Dusica Lecic-Tosevski, Eliot Sorel, Elmars Rancans, Eva Palova, Georg Juckel, Goran Isacsson, Helena Korosec Jagodic, Ileana Botezat-Antonescu, Ingeborg Warnke, Janusz Rybakowski, Jean Michel Azorin, John Cookson, John Waddington, Peter PregeljKoen Demyttenaere, Luchezar G. Hranov, Lidija Injac Stevovic, Lucas Pezawas, Marc Adida, Maria Luisa Figuera, Maurizio Pompili, Miro Jakovljević, Monica Vichi, Giulio Perugi, Ole Andrasen, Olivera Vukovic, Paraskevi Mavrogiorgou, Peeter Varnik, Per Bech, Peter Dome, Petr Winkler, Raimo K.R. Salokangas, Tiina From, Vita Danileviciute, Xenia Gonda, Zoltan Rihmer, Jonas Forsman Benhalima, Anne Grady, Anne Katrine Kloster Leadholm, Susan Soendergaard, Carlos Nordt, Juan Lopez-Ibor

Department of Psychiatry and Narcology

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Abstract

Background: It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. Aims: The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Method: Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. Results: There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Conclusions: Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	486-496
Number of pages	11
Journal	British Journal of Psychiatry
Volume	205
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2014

Field of Science*

3.3 Health sciences
3.2 Clinical medicine

Publication Type*

1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Fountoulakis, K. N., Kawohl, W., Theodorakis, P. N., Kerkhof, A. J. F. M., Navickas, A., Höschl, C., Lecic-Tosevski, D., Sorel, E., Rancans, E., Palova, E., Juckel, G., Isacsson, G., Korosec Jagodic, H., Botezat-Antonescu, I., Warnke, I., Rybakowski, J., Azorin, J. M., Cookson, J., Waddington, J., ... Lopez-Ibor, J. (2014). Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011. British Journal of Psychiatry, 205(6), 486-496. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454

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title = "Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011",

abstract = "Background: It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. Aims: The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Method: Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. Results: There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Conclusions: Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.",

author = "Fountoulakis, {Konstantinos N.} and Wolfram Kawohl and Theodorakis, {Pavlos N.} and Kerkhof, {Ad J.F.M.} and Alvydas Navickas and Cyril H{\"o}schl and Dusica Lecic-Tosevski and Eliot Sorel and Elmars Rancans and Eva Palova and Georg Juckel and Goran Isacsson and {Korosec Jagodic}, Helena and Ileana Botezat-Antonescu and Ingeborg Warnke and Janusz Rybakowski and Azorin, {Jean Michel} and John Cookson and John Waddington and Peter Pregelj and Koen Demyttenaere and Hranov, {Luchezar G.} and {Injac Stevovic}, Lidija and Lucas Pezawas and Marc Adida and Figuera, {Maria Luisa} and Maurizio Pompili and Miro Jakovljevi{\'c} and Monica Vichi and Giulio Perugi and Ole Andrasen and Olivera Vukovic and Paraskevi Mavrogiorgou and Peeter Varnik and Per Bech and Peter Dome and Petr Winkler and Salokangas, {Raimo K.R.} and Tiina From and Vita Danileviciute and Xenia Gonda and Zoltan Rihmer and {Forsman Benhalima}, Jonas and Anne Grady and {Kloster Leadholm}, {Anne Katrine} and Susan Soendergaard and Carlos Nordt and Juan Lopez-Ibor",

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month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454",

language = "English",

volume = "205",

pages = "486--496",

journal = "British Journal of Psychiatry",

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Fountoulakis, KN, Kawohl, W, Theodorakis, PN, Kerkhof, AJFM, Navickas, A, Höschl, C, Lecic-Tosevski, D, Sorel, E, Rancans, E, Palova, E, Juckel, G, Isacsson, G, Korosec Jagodic, H, Botezat-Antonescu, I, Warnke, I, Rybakowski, J, Azorin, JM, Cookson, J, Waddington, J, Pregelj, P, Demyttenaere, K, Hranov, LG, Injac Stevovic, L, Pezawas, L, Adida, M, Figuera, ML, Pompili, M, Jakovljević, M, Vichi, M, Perugi, G, Andrasen, O, Vukovic, O, Mavrogiorgou, P, Varnik, P, Bech, P, Dome, P, Winkler, P, Salokangas, RKR, From, T, Danileviciute, V, Gonda, X, Rihmer, Z, Forsman Benhalima, J, Grady, A, Kloster Leadholm, AK, Soendergaard, S, Nordt, C & Lopez-Ibor, J 2014, 'Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011', British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 205, no. 6, pp. 486-496. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454

TY - JOUR

T1 - Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe

T2 - 2000-2011

AU - Fountoulakis, Konstantinos N.

AU - Kawohl, Wolfram

AU - Theodorakis, Pavlos N.

AU - Kerkhof, Ad J.F.M.

AU - Navickas, Alvydas

AU - Höschl, Cyril

AU - Lecic-Tosevski, Dusica

AU - Sorel, Eliot

AU - Rancans, Elmars

AU - Palova, Eva

AU - Juckel, Georg

AU - Isacsson, Goran

AU - Korosec Jagodic, Helena

AU - Botezat-Antonescu, Ileana

AU - Warnke, Ingeborg

AU - Rybakowski, Janusz

AU - Azorin, Jean Michel

AU - Cookson, John

AU - Waddington, John

AU - Pregelj, Peter

AU - Demyttenaere, Koen

AU - Hranov, Luchezar G.

AU - Injac Stevovic, Lidija

AU - Pezawas, Lucas

AU - Adida, Marc

AU - Figuera, Maria Luisa

AU - Pompili, Maurizio

AU - Jakovljević, Miro

AU - Vichi, Monica

AU - Perugi, Giulio

AU - Andrasen, Ole

AU - Vukovic, Olivera

AU - Mavrogiorgou, Paraskevi

AU - Varnik, Peeter

AU - Bech, Per

AU - Dome, Peter

AU - Winkler, Petr

AU - Salokangas, Raimo K.R.

AU - From, Tiina

AU - Danileviciute, Vita

AU - Gonda, Xenia

AU - Rihmer, Zoltan

AU - Forsman Benhalima, Jonas

AU - Grady, Anne

AU - Kloster Leadholm, Anne Katrine

AU - Soendergaard, Susan

AU - Nordt, Carlos

AU - Lopez-Ibor, Juan

PY - 2014/12/1

Y1 - 2014/12/1

N2 - Background: It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. Aims: The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Method: Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. Results: There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Conclusions: Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.

AB - Background: It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. Aims: The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Method: Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. Results: There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Conclusions: Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84916605589&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454

DO - 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147454

M3 - Article

C2 - 25359926

AN - SCOPUS:84916605589

SN - 0007-1250

VL - 205

SP - 486

EP - 496

JO - British Journal of Psychiatry

JF - British Journal of Psychiatry

IS - 6

ER -

Relationship of suicide rates to economic variables in Europe: 2000-2011

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