Suicide in Sri Lanka
| Suicide |
|---|
Suicide in Sri Lanka is a common cause of unnatural death and a long term social issue.
Statistics
According to a report published in a seminar by Dr. Neil Fernando, head of National Institute of Mental Health in September 2011, almost 4,000 people die by suicide in Sri Lanka every year. Fernando's statistics shows the majority of victims were aged 15 to 44.[1] According to the statistics of Registrar General's office, at the time of independence (1948) suicide rate in Sri Lanka was 9 per 100,000 people. In the 1970s, it rose up to 19 per 100,000, and in the mid 1980s, it reached 33 per 100,000. It remained static there afterwards.[2]
Suicide rate
| Age group | Suicide rate/1,000 population | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1986 | 1989 | 1996 | 1999 | |
| =<14 | - | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| 15-24 | 0.10 | 0.42 | 0.38 | 0.63 | 0.63 | 0.55 | 0.45 | 0.41 |
| 25-44 | 0.09 | 0.27 | 0.25 | 0.40 | 0.48 | 0.49 | 0.47 | 0.49 |
| 45-64 | 0.10 | 0.24 | 0.23 | 0.28 | 0.34 | 0.37 | 0.35 | 0.38 |
| 65-74 | 0.21 | 0.44 | 0.41 | 0.40 | 0.49 | 0.47 | 0.55 | 0.55 |
| 75+ | 0.37 | 0.50 | 0.75 | 0.78 | 0.74 | 0.56 | 0.57 | 0.67 |
Common methods
Common methods of suicide include:
- Jumping in front of trains
- Drinking insecticides
- Strangling
- Jumping into the water
- Jumping from height
- Using firearms
- Drinking acids, fuels or drugs
See also
References
- ^ "Sri Lanka suicide rate one of the world's highest". World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Social Conditions of Sri Lanka" (PDF). Statistics.gov. pp. 14–16. Retrieved 16 November 2012.