Suicide rate in a Mediterranean Island: North Cyprus

Abstract

Objective: This study determines the distribution of suicides according to years and seasons as well as the frequency of completed suicides in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Method: All suicides that resulted in death in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) between the years of 2010-2013 were included in the study. Results: Fifty-six individuals committed suicide between 2010 and 2013. Male/female ratio was estimated to be 2.5. The mean rate of suicides per 100000 individuals for all 4 years was, 4.89. In males, the rate of violent suicide attempts was 82.5% (n: 33/40), while this rate was 56.2% (n: 9/16) in females. Conclusions: The data from the current study suggest that the rate of suicide in North Cyprus Turkish Republic is higher than the rate in most Muslim countries, which is lower than the general world average and close to the rates observed in Turkey and South Cyprus. The male/female ratio was closer to that found in Turkey, Iran and Japan. Finally, the method and seasonal characteristics were similar to previous reports in the literature.