A new study suggests that the recent economic recession is linked to a 4.5% increase in Canada’s suicide rate.
The study states that Canada experienced 240 suicides more than expected between 2007 and 2009, and that worldwide at least 10,000 additional suicides could be connected to the economic hardship experienced in EU countries, Canada and the US.
The authors explain that recession provokes job losses, debts and foreclosures on mortgages which are all associated with depression, which in turn is a risk factor of suicide. They argue that psychological prevention, helping the unemployed return to work and greater gender equality in the workplace could all attenuate mental health crises in workers during recessions.
Original research paper published in the The British Journal of Psychiatry on June 11, 2014.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
