The number suicides in Greece in 2022 increased by almost 25% relative to 2020, according to the annual suicide data reported and analyzed by the Suicide Observatory Non-profit organization “KLIMAKA”.
The total number of reported suicides in 2022 was close to 600.
Αnalysts note that this figure actually corresponds to at least two suicides a day, given that suicide deaths are generally under-reported throughout the world.
According to the KLIMAKA report:
• The vast majority of people who committed suicide were male (78%), with female suicides making up 22%.
• In terms of age group, people over 60 had the highest number of suicides compared to other age groups in the population.
• The number of suicides among young people in general (ages over 20) shows increasing trends compared to 2021 figures.
• The most frequent method of suicide at population level was hanging, followed by self-shooting and jumping/falling. Other methods were self-injuries, poisoning, drawning
• In terms of regions, the highest number of suicides in 2022 was recorded in Crete (17% of the total number of deaths), followed by Central Macedonia, Thessaly and Attica.
• Most of the individuals who committed suicide belonged to the economically active population of the country and were married.
• 55% of deaths took place within the deceased’s household.
• The majority of suicides occurred during the summer months (June – July – August) while the days on which the highest number of suicides were recorded were Monday and Tuesday. Most of the deaths took place at dawn.
Furthermore, within 2022, 18 suicides were recorded in high-risk areas of the country (suicide hotspots), 11 in detention centers, 7 inside Mass Transportation stations, 8 inside health units and 3 inside military camps of the country.
In addition, there were at least 11 suicides of workers in high-risk occupations for suicide such as security forces and 3 suicides of military personnel. In addition, 4 extended suicides (homicides followed by the perpetrator’s suicide) took place this year.
Psychological autopsies of suicide survivors who turn to the KLIMAKA Center for Suicide Prevention in search of help are included in the Observatory’s base sources.
Within the last year a large number of psychological autopsies have been carried out in which it was found that people who ended their lives had directly or indirectly manifested their intention to kill themselves and the existence of previous suicide attempts or “rehearsals” for an attempt in the past as well as the existence of a family history of suicide and/or mental illness, points which did not receive adequate attention either from mental health professionals or from the wider environment of the suicide victim.
Greece remains one of the few countries in the European and global sphere that has not taken any institutional initiative for the protection of self-destructive individuals, which is a constant request of the organization and its placement in the International Association for Suicide Prevention (International Association for Suicide Prevention – IASP), an organization which is the highest body for the preparation of strategies in the field of prevention as well as research procedures, in an advocacy status with the World Health Organization.
95% of deaths could have been prevented if timely and effective interventions had been implemented.
The KLIMAKA Suicide Prevention Center has for years proposed clear and critical proposals both at the level of recording suicides and at the level of preventive interventions which are constantly updated based on the data received by the the Suicide Observatory.
KLIMAKA report underlines that 95% of deaths could have been prevented if there had been timely and effective interventions.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: <1018> on 24/7 basis.
Webside: KLIMAKA
