Suicide in Germany down by half since 1980
Published: 1 Sep, 2008 CET.
Updated: Mon 1 Sep 2008 08:34 CET
The suicide rate in Germany is at a historic low - down by half since 1980 – according to this week’s edition of Focus magazine.
The National Statistical Office (Destatis) told the magazine that the number of suicides was down by half since 1980 – from 18,451 to 9,402 last year.
Despite the statistical turn, Focus reported that each year more people still die of suicide than car accidents and AIDS put together.
The lower rate of suicide is mainly due to better education for healthcare professionals, head of the national suicide prevention program Armin Schmidtke told the magazine.
“They can better recognize and treat depression – the main cause of suicide,” he said, adding that more anti-depressants are prescribed and Germans are more willing to seek psychological help.
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The National Statistical Office (Destatis) told the magazine that the number of suicides was down by half since 1980 – from 18,451 to 9,402 last year.
Despite the statistical turn, Focus reported that each year more people still die of suicide than car accidents and AIDS put together.
The lower rate of suicide is mainly due to better education for healthcare professionals, head of the national suicide prevention program Armin Schmidtke told the magazine.
“They can better recognize and treat depression – the main cause of suicide,” he said, adding that more anti-depressants are prescribed and Germans are more willing to seek psychological help.
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