Protests against Greek austerity measures have been ongoing since they were introduced and are the major political issue in the country. (Photo credit: Christina Kekka, flickr.com)
The introduction of austerity measures in Greece in June 2011 was linked to an increase in suicides which continued into 2012, a new study shows. The increase was the equivalent of 11.2 additional suicides every month. No other prosperity or austerity events in Greece over the 30 year period were associated with such a strong shift in the total number of suicides being recorded.
Researchers tracked the number of suicides recorded in Greece every month between January 1983 and December 2012 and found that following the introduction of austerity measures the number of total suicides rose by over 35% in June 2011. This increase lasted for the rest of the year and continued into 2012.
Original research paper published in BMJ Open on February 2, 2015.
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