During the past two weeks, 6 suicide cases of different age groups were recorded in several regions.
In this context, Mira Dali Balta, a psychotherapist and life line supervisor at the Embrace Association for Mental Health, revealed that “scientific studies show that about 10% of deaths resulting from suicide are due to various factors and stressors, and that 75% of suicides occur in low-to-middle-income countries,” pointing out that “Lebanon has transformed today from a middle-income country to a poor country.”
She added, “Therefore, this certainly leads to an increase in economic and social stressors that affect mental health through their interaction with previous psychological conditions or other stressors, such as low mood, high levels of anxiety, symptoms of depression, weak coping mechanisms that are affected by acute stressors, and support systems.” bad social.
She also explained that “these pressures can also activate new psychological states, and when these interactions worsen, they increase the feeling of helplessness and despair, and thus all contribute to suicidal thoughts and behaviors.”
It is noteworthy that, according to the Internal Security Forces, 138 suicides were recorded in 2022. However, this number could be higher because there are many families who do not report the suicide of one of their members to the security forces, for fear of social stigma.
According to International Information, a statistical institution, suicides declined in 2022 compared to 2021, so that the average annual suicides during the years 2013-2022 reached 143, while the largest number was recorded in 2019 (172). The lowest number was recorded in 2013 (111 incidents).
In a previous press statement, researcher at Information International, Muhammad Shams al-Din, said, “The number of suicides during the months of January and February of this year amounted to 21,” and this, according to observers, is a dangerous indicator, given that the current year is still in its infancy.
In addition, Balta stressed that “the latest figures do not shed light on a new phenomenon. In 2019, we witnessed a similar trend, as several successive suicides occurred, which were also revealed in the media and linked to the socio-economic situation.”
She talked about what is called in social psychology “suicide infection”, which pushes individuals who are willing and going through similar situations to commit suicide after hearing about suicide situations and incidents in the news.
While she relied on the great role of the media in raising awareness about mental health, especially when dealing with news of suicide, stressing that the transmission of the news should not include any pictures of the tools or the scene of suicide or the person’s will or picture.
Anxiety, stress and depression
For her part, Jocelyn Azar, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Lebanese-American University, considered that the causes of suicide are intertwined, but most of them are directly related to mental disorders such as severe depression.
She said, “The cases of anxiety and tension, along with depression that most Lebanese feel as a result of the stifling economic and financial crisis that we have been going through since 2019, have increased suicide rates, especially since citizens were unable to cope with these difficult conditions, so we are witnessing suicides, especially among People who already have a mental disorder.
She also pointed out the importance of spreading awareness in society to reduce suicides, and the need to pay attention to the mental health of people with suicidal tendencies.
It is noteworthy that since the fall of 2019, Lebanon has been going through the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history, as the lira records a new record every day with its collapse against the dollar, which led to high poverty rates and a decline in the purchasing power of the Lebanese, amid a political and banking inability to find solutions to the crisis.