Suicide rates on the rise in Jordan — report

AMMAN — The rate of suicides has been on the rise in Jordan since 2011, the Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI) said on Tuesday, citing figures from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).  

There were 39 suicides in 2011, 86 in 2012 and 108 in 2013. The number of suicides dropped in 2014 to 100, before rising to 113 in 2015, according to the CID annual statistics report, SIGI said in a statement.  

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report on suicide, issued in September 2014, 52.7 per cent of suicides in 2012 were committed by men, SIGI noted. 

Suicide is the leading cause of death among youth aged 15 to 29, the WHO report said, adding that the suicide rate is rising globally. 

Some 800,000 commit suicide every year, while 16 million attempt suicide, the WHO said. 

In Jordan, suicide is becoming more common among women and girls, SIGI said, calling for the government, NGOs and local communities to work together to prevent these deaths.

A coordinated strategy is needed to analyse the reasons for suicide and to find ways to resolve them, the institute said.  

SIGI said the strategy should also raise awareness of the dangers of suicide and provide help to potential victims and survivors of suicide attempts. 

According to the WHO, across the world someone commits suicide every 40 seconds, and the act is more common in low or medium income countries. 

In rich countries, men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women, the UN agency found. 

Globally, up to 50 per cent of male suicides are blamed on bullying, while domestic violence is the cause of 71 per cent of female suicides, the WHO report said. 

In countries that decriminalised suicide, those who had survived suicide attempts were more likely to seek help, it added.  

Regarding the increase in female suicides in Jordan, SIGI noted that some women have no access to health services and resources. 

Violence, injustice and inequality can cause depression, which accumulates and can lead to suicidal thoughts, SIGI added. One of the most successful ways to prevent suicide is by removing materials commonly used to commit suicide, like pesticides and firearms, and limiting access to very high buildings or bridges, according to SIGI.  

Suicide is not always connected to mental factors and can affect healthy people too, the statement said.