Suicide in Greece

Greece is not considered a major suicidal country. Greece was the country with the lowest suicide rate in Europe according to a research done by WHO in 2012.[1] Greek suicide rates are also among the lowest in the world, a fact that is attributed to various factors, such as the mentality of the Greek society and the climate of the country.

Suicides used to occur more frequently in earlier periods of Greek history, such as during the Greek Civil War of 1946, where many lost their relatives in the war.[2]

Some sources suggest that the number of suicides occurring in Greece may be underestimated. The act may be sometimes concealed by family members for religious or other social reasons.[3]

There are also cases, such as those of Dimitris Christoulas or the 45-year-old teacher Savvas Metoikidis, where their decision were a form of protest to the current economic situation in Greece.

Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Number of suicides in Greece [4] 381 382 334 323 375 353 400 402 328 373 391 377 477 508 533 565 529 484 465 530


Suicides by region and methods

The region with the highest suicide rate in Greece is Crete, followed by Thessaly and Attica in the second and third place respectively.

The most common suicide methods are hanging and jumping from height. [5]

Gender and age

As in the case of many other countries, the proportion of men (76%) dying from suicide is higher than that of women (24%).

The age groups with the highest frequency are people aged 60-64 and 80 or over. [6]

Suicides of young people include the deaths of the 20-years old judo athlete Eleni Ioannou and 25-years old football player Giannis Koskiniatis in 2004 and 2008 respectively. In 2012, a 36-year old woman also committed suicide by jumping from a 6th floor balcony in Pagrati, Athens. [7]

Greek Intervention Hotline for suicide

There is an organization in Greece that aims to prevent suicide. Those contemplating suicide or know someone who suffers from major depression are encouraged to call the number 1018.[8]

References
  1. Jakub, Marian. "Suicide rates by country in Europe".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "«Η αυτοκτονία δεν είναι θυσία» (Suicide is no self-sacrifice)". 23 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Ανακοίνωση της Εκκλησίας για την αυτοκτονία στο Σύνταγμα". Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2012-07-14.
  4. Sources: Hellenic Statistical Authority for years 1999-2016, Hellenic Police' Division of Informatics for years 2017-2018
  5. "Αυξάνονται οι αυτοκτονίες στην Ελλάδα: Οι θλιβεροί αριθμοί (Suicides are increasing in Greece: The sore numbers)". 10 September 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "Στατιστικά στοιχεία παρατηρίου αυτοκτονιών (Statistical data of suicides' observatory)". 14 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Έδωσε τέλος στην ζωή της πέφτοντας από τον 6ο όροφο πολυκατοικίας στο Παγκράτι". 15 November 2012.
  8. "24ωρη γραμμή παρέμβασης για την αυτοκτονία".
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