Suicide in Lithuania
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Suicide in Lithuania has become a significant national social issue due to its high rate.[1][2]
Causes
Social and financial problems in Lithuania are a major cause behind such high rate of suicides. According to Onutė Davidonienė, director of the State Mental Health Center, a main reason behind the dramatic rise in suicides over the last decade is the economic and social transition. This can be linked to the Russian economic crisis of 1998 whose effect on Lithuania was prolonging the phenomenon.[3]
Statistics
According to a web page on world health ratings, in 2014 almost 29 out of 100,000 people in Lithuania committed suicide.[1] In contrast, according to a report of the World Health Organization, in 1995 this number peaked at almost 46 out of 100,000.[2]
| Suicide rates (per 100,000), by gender, Lithuania, 1981-2009 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | 1981 | 1985 | 1990 | 1995 | 2000 | 2005 | 2009 |
| Male | 59.4 | 58.0 | 44.3 | 79.1 | 75.6 | 68.1 | 61.3 |
| Female | 10.7 | 12.9 | 9.7 | 15.6 | 16.1 | 12.9 | 10.4 |
| Total | 33.6 | 34.1 | 26.1 | 45.6 | 44.1 | 38.6 | 34.1 |
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| Number of suicides by age group and gender. Lithuania, 2009 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 5-14 | 15-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65-74 | 75+ | All |
| Males | 3 | 109 | 116 | 195 | 233 | 148 | 91 | 57 | 952 |
| Females | 2 | 16 | 15 | 26 | 39 | 27 | 21 | 40 | 186 |
| Total | 5 | 125 | 131 | 221 | 272 | 175 | 112 | 97 | 1138 |
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Notable Lithuanians who died by suicide
- Romas Kalanta, self-immolation protesting Soviet regime in Lithuania
- Saulius Mykolaitis, director, actor, suicide by hanging
- Theodor Grotthuss, chemist
- Vytautas Šapranauskas, actor, comedian and TV presenter, suicide by hanging
- Vytautas Vičiulis, painter, set himself ablaze
- Yitzhak Wittenberg, Jewish resistance fighter, swallowing poison
See also
References
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