WHO records 3,400 suicides in Syria since 2013
The World Health Organization recorded 3,400 suicides in Syria from 2013 until September of this year.
The organization said in a tweet on Twitter on the occasion of the World Suicide Prevention Day: “It has trained 700 doctors and members of civil society organizations in managing mental health issues and dealing with cases of suicide attempts.”
She added: “Did you know that more than 700,000 people die annually from suicide, which is the fourth leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 15 and 19.”
Last June, the Director-General of the General Authority for Forensic Medicine of the Assad government, Zaher Hajjo, revealed that 80 suicide cases had been recorded in regime-controlled areas during the current year, more than half of them by hanging.
He indicated that there was a slight increase in the percentage of males who committed suicide, reaching about 71 percent this year, compared to 68 percent in the same period last year.
The Assad regime-controlled areas are witnessing a rise in suicide rates, and poverty and poor economic conditions are at the forefront of the reasons why young men and girls take the decision to end their lives, in addition to the conditions of war, unemployment and psychological and social pressures.
In northwestern Syria, Save the Children expressed its grave concern about the sharp rise in the number of suicide attempts and deaths, especially among children in the region.
The organization said in a statement last April that one out of every five suicide attempts and deaths recorded in northwestern Syria are children, noting that a total of 246 suicides were recorded, and 1,748 attempted suicides in only the last three months of 2020.
