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The relationship of economic factors and suicide David Gunnell, University of Bristol, UK. Geography of suicide in males aged 15-44: England & Wales 1988-1994. Manchester. London. Birmingham. Bristol. Middleton, Sterne, Gunnell (JECH 2006). Outline. Person based studies
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The relationship of economic factors and suicide David Gunnell, University of Bristol, UK
Geography of suicide in males aged 15-44: England & Wales 1988-1994 Manchester London Birmingham Bristol Middleton, Sterne, Gunnell (JECH 2006)
Outline • Person based studies • Ecological studies • Mechanisms • Interventions
Suicide and the Labour Market(Platt and Hawton 2000) • Systematic review: 9 prospective studies • Unemployment associated with 2-3 fold increased risk in all studies • Weaknesses: variable follow-up; limited control for possible confounders in some
Rate ratio (RR) adjusted RR adjusted for all for sex and age (95% CI) variables (95% CI)* Employment Working 1.00 1.00 <20% unemployed 1.10 0.93 (0.66-1.33) 20-100% unemployed 1.89 1.35 (1.03-1.76) Disability pension 4.41 1.05 (0.74-1.50) Psychiatric history None 1.00 1.00 Discharge 1-6 months 60.00 35.3 (24.0-52.1) *Income, marital status, wealth, education, place of residence Unemployment and suicide: Denmark Mortensen et al Lancet 2000
Risk factors for suicide in Taiwan: case control study • N=113 suicides and n=226 living controls • 64.6% cases and 45.1% controls unemployed (OR 3.5 (CI 1.9 to 6.5)) • Association p>0.05 in multivariable models Cheng ATA et al BJPsych 2000
Debt and suicide in Hong Kong • Study of N=1,088 suicides in 2002 • 24.5% had debt problems • Main sources of debt: • Gambling: 34% • Business difficulties/failure: 11% • Over-consumption goods/services: 8% • Residential rent: 7% Yip et al JAppl Soc Psych 2007
Association between unemployment and suicide rates (non poisons and gases) in 25-34 year old males (1921-1995) Gunnell et al BJPsych 1999
Source: Morrell S et al, Soc. Sci. Med. 1993; Vol 36, 6, 749-756
Suicide rates in New Zealand Recession Male Rate (per 100,000) Female Year Source: Deavoll BJ et al, Acta Psychiatr Scand 1993;87:81-85
20 18 16 14 12 10 8 0 Age-adjusted rate Rate per 100,000 population Total rate 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 Year Suicide rates in United States Source: Monk M, Epidemiologic Review 1987;9:51-69
MEN WOMEN Suicide death rate (per 100,000) ( ) Suicide death rate (per 100,000) ( ) Proportion of employed (%)in primary industry ( )and tertiary industry ( ) Proportion of employed (%)in primary industry ( )and tertiary industry ( ) Unemployment rate (%) ( ) Unemployment rate (%) ( ) 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 Year 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 Year Suicide rates in Japan Secular trends in suicide rate, unemployment and proportions applied in primary and tertiary industry, 1953-72 and 1973-86 Source: Motohashi Y, J biosoc. Sci 1991;23:221-227
Results: trends in GDP and unemployment 8% 5% 2% 2006 1998 1999 1998 Chang S-S et al, Soc Sci Med 2009
Results: trends in suicide rates in East Asia Chang et al Soc Sci Med 2009
Results: time-series analyses on male suicides Chang S-S et al, Soc Sci Med 2009
10,400 excess suicides in 1998 compared to 1997 in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong • Associations stronger in men than women, young than old • In Korea and Hong Kong, but not Japan in part mediated by rises in unemployment
Suicide risk factors in 25-34 year old males: Unemployment, divorce, income inequality & alcoholism Year
Causal pathway underlying unemployment – suicide association • Unemployment mental illness suicide • Mental illness unemployment suicide
Unemployment and the incidence of suicidal thoughts (Q: have you thought of taking your life even if you would not really do it?) • 18 month follow-up of National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (2000) n=2,404 • Annual incidence of suicidal thoughts 2.3% • Compared to those who were employed at baseline and follow-up, • OR for job loss: 3.7 (0.9 to 15.1) • OR for continued unemployment: 14.0 (1.6 to 120.0) (controlling for baseline CIS-R/age/sex) Gunnell et al 2004
Interventions to offset impact of economic crisis on suicide • Social policy: • Job creation • alternatives to paid work e.g. community work • Advice / support to people made redundant • Increased resource to agencies providing advice for unemployed / people in debt • Remind media about responsible reporting • Support from employers • Group therapy / group CBT for unemployed
Interventions to offset impact of economic crisis on suicide • Social policy: • Job creation • alternatives to paid work e.g. community work • Advice / support to people made redundant • Increased resource to agencies providing advice for unemployed / people in debt • Remind media about responsible reporting • Support from employers • Group therapy / group CBT for unemployed
Interventions to offset impact of economic crisis on suicide • Social policy: • Job creation • alternatives to paid work e.g. community work • Advice / support to people made redundant • Increased resource to agencies providing advice for unemployed / people in debt • Remind media about responsible reporting • Support from employers • Group therapy / group CBT for unemployed
Group CBT for long term unemployed (Proudfoot et al Lancet 1997) • Intervention: 3 hour group sessions once per week for 7 weeks • N=289 volunteers randomised (56% GHQ>5) • After training between group differences in GHQ improvement 3.9 (p=0.05) at 3 month f-up • 34% in CBT group vs 13% in control group had found work (p<0.001) at 4 months after completion of training
Summary • Ecological and person based analyses provide evidence that unemployment increases the risk of suicide • Current economic crisis likely to lead to an increase in suicide • Need to advise Government / Policy makers about how best to offset risk • Research to evaluation measures taken
Shu-sen Chang Nicos Middleton Jonathan Sterne Robert Lee Andrew Cheng Keith Hawton Stephen Platt Roger Harbord Glyn Lewis Nicola Singleton Danny Dorling Tom Lopatatzidis Rachel Jenkins Acknowledgements