Recession Linked with 10,000 Suicides in North America, EU

At least 10,000 suicides in North America and Europe, between 2008 and 2010, can be linked with the recent recession, researchers at the University of Oxford said.

According to a recent study - EU, Canada and the U.S. reported an increase in suicide rates after 2007. The suicide rate was four times higher in men than in women.

"Suicides are just the tip of the iceberg. These data reveal a looming mental health crisis in Europe and North America. In these hard economic times, this research suggests it is critical to look for ways of protecting those who are likely to be hardest hit," said Professor David Stuckler, from the University of Oxford, co-author of the study, according to a  news release. 

The study was based on data from the World Health Organization, which included information about suicides from 24 EU countries and two North American countries. Researchers found that before the recession, EU countries were witnessing a decrease in suicide rates. The great recession reversed the trend and led to a 6.5 percent increase in suicide rates in 2009.

The U.S had high number of suicide cases even before the recession. During the economic crisis, the suicide rate increased by 4.8 percent. North America and EU, together, reported over 10,000 suicides that were linked to the Great Recession, npr reported.

Loss of employment, financial uncertainty and home repossession are some of the key reasons that forced the victims to commit suicide, researchers found.

There is hope though; some European countries such as Sweden, Finland and Austria, managed to keep suicide rates low despite a fall in employment rates.

"This study shows that rising suicides have not been observed everywhere so while recessions will continue to hurt, they don't always cause self-harm. A range of interventions, from return to work programmes through to antidepressant prescriptions, may reduce the risk of suicide during future economic downturns," said Dr Aaron Reeves, of the Oxford University's Department of Sociology, who is the lead author of the study.

The study is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

An earlier study published in the journal The Lancet had also found that suicide rates accelerated in the U.S during the Great Recession.