Suicide in Asia

Abstract

The available data suggest that suicide deaths in Asia may account for the majority of suicides that occur in the world every year. This significant contribution occurs primarily because of the large population sizes of some Asian countries. Together, China, India, and Japan account for more than 40% of all world suicides, and Asia in total may in fact account for up to 60% of all suicides (World Health Organization, accessed 2006). If we apply to Asia commonly used estimates (namely, that there are approximately one million suicides in the world each year, 10 to 20 times as many suicide attempts as deaths, and 5 to 6 people affected by each suicide death or serious suicide attempt), then these figures suggest that up to 60 million people, each and every year, may be affected by suicide in Asia. These estimates provide a compelling case for more research into the etiology of suicidal behavior in Asian countries and for the development of suicide prevention programs tailored to fit the specific profiles of suicidal behavior in Asian countries. Currently, much of our research about suicide is dominated by a rather Western perspective, and we know much less about suicidal behavior in Asia than we do about suicidal behavior in the West.