WHO Report: Three Algerians attempt suicide every day due to social conditions

World Health Organization sounded the alarm about the growing phenomenon of suicide in Arab societies, bringing the number to four suicide attempts in every 100,000 inhabitants, which is a large number, as youth are the most vulnerable to suicide in Algeria because of their difficult living conditions.

WHO’s report, which was published with the title “Suicide Prevention … A universal need”, classified Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria on top of the list of the suicides, and that through counting the largest suicide rates per 100,000 persons, while Syria and Saudi Arabia are on the bottom of the ranking.

Sudan came in the first place at a rate of 17.2 suicides per 100,000 people, and Morocco in second place at a rate of 5.3 cases of suicide.

Statistics of 2009 and 2013 indicate that the number of deaths due to suicide in the Arab country reached up to 2,134 deaths.

Qatar ranked third with a rate of 4.6 cases of suicide, Yemen, followed it by 3.7, then UAE by 3.2 suicides per 100,000 people.

Algeria ranked ninth among the Arab countries that have recorded a lot of suicides, as the report showed that three Algerians try to commit suicide every day, and over 1,108 suicides of young people from different age and groups of both sexes, as girls’ number was larger than boys.

Saudi Arabia ranked in the last place, which is equal with Syria in suicide rates by 0.4 suicides per 100 people, and it is ranked at the bottom of the list of Arab countries to the largest suicide rates in 2014.

It should be noted, that the suicide rates in the Middle East are rising, especially among young people who are aged between 15 and 29 years, including women and men who are aged from 60 years and more.

Despite the many causes of the phenomenon of suicide, but the Member States of the World Health Organization has committed to a plan of action of the Organization for Mental Health (2013 – 2020) to work in order to achieve the global target of reducing the suicide rate in the countries by 10% in 2020.