'Thank statism': Unemployment Is Killing 45,000 People Each Year

Researchers had previously registered a spike in suicides during the global economic crisis that began in 2008, suggesting that financial stress and hardship had contributed to the rise. But an analysis published on Tuesday in The Lancet Psychiatry by doctors at the University of Zurich in Switzerland estimates that about 5,000 suicides were associated with the crisis, while roughly nine times as many self-inflicted deaths are linked to unemployment each year.

'Thank statism': Unemployment Is Killing 45,000 People Each Year Jpeg&output-quality=90

'Thank statism': Unemployment Is Killing 45,000 People Each Year Jpeg&output-quality=90

Europe

The psychiatrists analyzed the suicide rates and economic statistics of 63 countries from 2000 to 2011 and determined that unemployment is connected to approximately 45,000 suicides annually. According to their findings, unemployment elevated the relative risk of suicide by 20 to 30 percent throughout the world. Suicides related to unemployment accounted for about a fifth of annual totals worldwide, and the association was strongest in countries where being out of work is uncommon.

"It is possible that an unexpected increase in the unemployment rate may trigger greater fears and insecurity than in countries with higher pre-crisis unemployment levels," Carlos Nordt, the lead author of the study, said.

Though the financial outlook has improved since 2008, suicides tied to unemployment are likely to remain high. The authors noted that prevention efforts should focus on addressing unemployment and its effects in stable times as well as difficult ones.

Dan Reidenberg, director of the group Suicide Awareness Voices of Education and managing director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention, told VICE News that fear of loss can play a significant role in suicide. Those who are unemployed can fear losing their income, healthcare, homes, and retirement savings, and doubt their ability to provide for their families.

"Employment is tied to identity," he said. "When people lose a sense of identity and purpose it becomes problematic for them. For someone who is particularly vulnerable or at risk, if you add on a loss of sense of purpose, the risk goes up."

John Draper, the director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, told VICE News that the risks are particularly acute for working-age men, noting that upwards of 80 percent of those who kill themselves are men, most of whom are between the ages of 25 and 64.

https://news.vice.com/article/unemployment-is-killing-45000-people-each-year

'Thank statism': Unemployment Is Killing 45,000 People Each Year

'Thank statism': Unemployment Is Killing 45,000 People Each Year

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