Suicide in Sri Lanka

Abstract

In recent decades, Sri Lanka has had one of the highest rates of suicide in the world (Annual Health Bulletin, 2006). This is a major health and social problem (Bolz, 2002; Somasundaram, et al., 1995). From 1930 to 1960 there was a slow but steady increase in the suicide rate. Rates from that time were comparatively low (5.2 per 100,000 in 1930 and 9.9 in 1960) (Somasundaram, et al., 1995). However, in the 1970s, the rate rose to a high level (about 20). The trend continued during the 1980s, unfortunately making Sri Lanka rank first among all nations, with a rate of 47 (Somasundaram, 1993). In 1982, the suicide rate in Jaffna, the former capital of the Tamil area, was 53.5, the highest ever heard of (Ganeswaran, et al., 1984). In 1990, the rate was about 45, while in 1995 it was 47.3 (WHO, 2004). This represented an increase of more than 700% during fifty years of independence. The latest rate is 30.1 in 1998 (Annual Health Bulletin, 2000) and 25.1 in 2004 (men 39.6 and women 10.9) (Annual Health Bulletin, 2006) which still give Sri Lanka the dubious distinction of having one of the highest suicide rates in the world. The significant reduction in suicide rates might be due to excluding the North-East Province, which has one third of the population and was the area of a civil war. © 2012 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.