Are Suicide Rates Related to the Psychiatrist Density? A Cross-National Study.

Leo Sher

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2015.00280

Abstract

Most suicide victims have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Treatment of psychiatric disorders should reduce the number of suicides. Higher psychiatrist-per--population ratio increases the opportunity for contact between the patient and psychiatrist. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the higher psychiatrist density (PD) is associated with lower suicide rates. The aim of this study is to examine the association between suicide rates and the PD in the European Union countries. These countries are economically and culturally connected and located on the same continent. This is an attempt to study a relatively homogenous sample. Correlations were computed to examine relationships between age--standardized suicide rates in women and men, the PD, and the gross national income (GNI) per capita. Partial correlations were used to examine the relation between the PD and age-standardized suicide rates in women and men controlling for the GNI per capita. Higher suicide rates in women correlated with the higher PD. Controlling for the GNI per capita, the PD positively correlated with suicide rates both in women and in men. There was a trend toward a negative correlation between the GNI per capita and suicide rates in men. The PD was positively associated with the GNI per capita. Probably, higher suicide rates directly and/or indirectly affect the decisions made by policy- and lawmakers regarding mental health services and how many psychiatrists need to be trained. The results of this study should be treated with caution because many confounding variables are not taken into account.

Highlights

Suicidal behavior is a major public health issue and a global phenomenon [1,2,3]
Information on age-standardized suicide rates in men and women, the psychiatrist density (PD), and the gross national income (GNI) per capita in the European Union countries was obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) database, “Global Health Observatory Data Repository” (Table 1) [16, 17]
Higher suicide rates in women correlated with the higher PD (Table 2; Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Suicidal behavior is a major public health issue and a global phenomenon [1,2,3]. Suicide is complex human behavior with multiple causes that include biological and psychosocial components. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that every year more than 800,000 people take their own life around the world [1]. The WHO recognizes suicide as a public health priority. Suicide is an important public health problem in the U.S In 2013, there were 41,143 suicides in the U.S, which equates to approximately 112 deaths a day [2]. Suicide occurs regardless of race, income, or gender. Men die by suicide at a rate four times higher than women. Reductions in suicide burden require multiple actions, including the development of new research programs and new approaches to suicide research and prevention

Methods

Results

Conclusion