SUICIDE RATES INCREASE
The experts state that suicides and suicide attempts will become a major problem in Turkish society in the near future. Based on the 2013 data by Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), number of suicide attempts resulted in death was 3 thousand 189. Prof. Dr. Erol Kahveci, Head of IUE Department of Sociology, who evaluated TUIK data said that at least 4 out of one hundred thousand people in Turkey committed suicide.
Prof. Dr. Kahveci pointed out that the causes of suicide were not clearly identified, and 75% of the people somehow tried to reach out to their loved ones before they killed themselves. Prof. Dr. Kahveci stated the following:
“This reminds us that many of the suicide cases might be potentially preventable. Suicide attempts are at least 20 times more than suicide cases in our country. Suicides and suicide attempts are a major problem in our country. The rates of suicide in Turkey is less than countries who completed an industrial revolution. This comparison also shows that suicides and suicide attempts will increase in our country. As a matter of fact, statistics in the last 50 years point out to such a tendency. The rate of suicides and suicide attempts in Turkey increases dramatically.”
‘Elementary School graduates leading in suicide’
Prof. Dr. Kahveci stated that education level had a major impact on suicide, and 2013 data revealed that while 38% of the people who committed suicide were elementary school graduates, 8% of them were university graduates. Prof. Dr. Kahveci said, “Turkey’s population is 28% elementary school graduates and 13% university graduates. In other words, the rate of elementary school graduates who commit suicide is more than their general rate in the population. Elementary school graduates are expected to work at unqualified jobs so their income levels are low. We can say that suicide rate among low income individuals is higher.”
‘73% in Males’
Prof. Dr. Kahveci mentioned that among the ones who committed suicide in 2013, 73% were males and 27% were females, and that this fact did not change during the historical process. “Women had less tendency to commit suicide as they got older, however, as the males got older, they became more prone to suicide. Some of the known causes are illnesses, financial difficulties, family and marital problems, business failure, etc. In traditional gender based societies, males have important responsibilities and we can say that they feel overwhelmed with these responsibilities,” stated Prof. Dr. Kahveci.
