SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A man in Athens in September, 2011. (Photo: Mehran Khalili/flickr/cc)
Austerity Linked to 30-Year High in Greek Suicides: Study
"Greater weight should be given to unintended health consequences of these measures," researchers write.
Feb 03, 2015
Austerity measures imposed on Greece in 2011 corresponded to a significant spike in suicides, health researchers have found.
For their study published Monday in the online journal BMJ Open, U.S., Scottish and Greek researchers used national data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority to look at suicide occurrences from 1983 through 2012.
During that 30-year time period, 11,505 suicides took place, and 2012 had the highest months of suicide.
The researchers found that June 2011, when a second round of austerity measures rolled out, "marked the beginning of significant, abrupt and sustained increases in total suicide." Total suicides rose by 36 percent, while male suicides rose by 19 percent.
"Suicides by women in Greece also underwent an abrupt and sustained increase in May 2011 following austerity-related events," spiking nearly 36 percent, the study also found, noting that this runs contrary to previous research that has not shown increases in female suicides as a result of economic downturns.
In addition, when the Greek recession began in October 2008, the number of suicides by men spiked 13.1%. Conversely, the study found that a time of economic prosperity in January 2002 when the euro launched corresponded to a 27 percent decrease in suicide.
"The sustained and statistically significant nature of the October 2008 and June 2011 increases for male suicides in Greece reveals the systemic and lasting effect that large government austerity programs can have on national economic stability and public health," the study states.
"As future austerity measures are considered, greater weight should be given to unintended health consequences of these measures," the researchers write, adding: "Greater attention should also be paid to the public reporting of austerity measures and any subsequent suicide-related events that may follow."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Austerity measures imposed on Greece in 2011 corresponded to a significant spike in suicides, health researchers have found.
For their study published Monday in the online journal BMJ Open, U.S., Scottish and Greek researchers used national data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority to look at suicide occurrences from 1983 through 2012.
During that 30-year time period, 11,505 suicides took place, and 2012 had the highest months of suicide.
The researchers found that June 2011, when a second round of austerity measures rolled out, "marked the beginning of significant, abrupt and sustained increases in total suicide." Total suicides rose by 36 percent, while male suicides rose by 19 percent.
"Suicides by women in Greece also underwent an abrupt and sustained increase in May 2011 following austerity-related events," spiking nearly 36 percent, the study also found, noting that this runs contrary to previous research that has not shown increases in female suicides as a result of economic downturns.
In addition, when the Greek recession began in October 2008, the number of suicides by men spiked 13.1%. Conversely, the study found that a time of economic prosperity in January 2002 when the euro launched corresponded to a 27 percent decrease in suicide.
"The sustained and statistically significant nature of the October 2008 and June 2011 increases for male suicides in Greece reveals the systemic and lasting effect that large government austerity programs can have on national economic stability and public health," the study states.
"As future austerity measures are considered, greater weight should be given to unintended health consequences of these measures," the researchers write, adding: "Greater attention should also be paid to the public reporting of austerity measures and any subsequent suicide-related events that may follow."
Austerity measures imposed on Greece in 2011 corresponded to a significant spike in suicides, health researchers have found.
For their study published Monday in the online journal BMJ Open, U.S., Scottish and Greek researchers used national data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority to look at suicide occurrences from 1983 through 2012.
During that 30-year time period, 11,505 suicides took place, and 2012 had the highest months of suicide.
The researchers found that June 2011, when a second round of austerity measures rolled out, "marked the beginning of significant, abrupt and sustained increases in total suicide." Total suicides rose by 36 percent, while male suicides rose by 19 percent.
"Suicides by women in Greece also underwent an abrupt and sustained increase in May 2011 following austerity-related events," spiking nearly 36 percent, the study also found, noting that this runs contrary to previous research that has not shown increases in female suicides as a result of economic downturns.
In addition, when the Greek recession began in October 2008, the number of suicides by men spiked 13.1%. Conversely, the study found that a time of economic prosperity in January 2002 when the euro launched corresponded to a 27 percent decrease in suicide.
"The sustained and statistically significant nature of the October 2008 and June 2011 increases for male suicides in Greece reveals the systemic and lasting effect that large government austerity programs can have on national economic stability and public health," the study states.
"As future austerity measures are considered, greater weight should be given to unintended health consequences of these measures," the researchers write, adding: "Greater attention should also be paid to the public reporting of austerity measures and any subsequent suicide-related events that may follow."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.