Harman Patil (Editor)

Suicide in Lithuania

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Suicide in Lithuania has become a significant national social issue due to its high rate.

Contents

Causes

Social and financial problems in Lithuania are thought to be important factors behind the high rate of suicides. According to Onutė Davidonienė, director of the State Mental Health Center, a major reason behind the dramatic rise in suicides over the last decade is the economic and social transition. This can be linked to the Russian economic crisis of 1998 which was prolonging the phenomenon in Lithuania.

Statistics

According to a web page on world health ratings, in 2014 almost 29 out of 100,000 people in Lithuania committed suicide. In contrast, according to a report of the World Health Organization, in 1995 this number peaked at almost 46 out of 100,000.

Notable Lithuanians who died by suicide

  • Romas Kalanta, self-immolation protesting the Soviet regime in Lithuania
  • Saulius Mykolaitis, director, actor, suicide by hanging
  • Theodor Grotthuss, chemist
  • Vytautas Šapranauskas, actor, comedian and TV presenter, suicide by hanging
  • Vytautas Vičiulis, painter, set himself ablaze
  • Yitzhak Wittenberg, Jewish resistance fighter, swallowing poison

    • References

    Suicide in Lithuania Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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