Why is suicide a major problem for women

Generally, suicide deaths are about three times more common in men than in women. This means: for every female suicide, there are 3 - 4 male suicides. However, in the case of suicide attempts it is the opposite: women attempt suicide three times as frequently as men.

In developing countries though, these figures differ substantially. The numbers of women committing suicide are constantly increasing, and the gap between the numbers of successful male and female suicides keeps getting smaller and smaller. The young, married women in these countries are at an especially high risk to take their lives. In South India, for example, suicide rates amongst young women are one of the highest in the world. As of the year of 2015, suicide had become the leading killer of young teenaged women worldwide. It has been discovered that, when it comes to deaths related to girls aged between 15 and 19, more of them die from self-harm than from road accidents, diseases (such as HIV/AIDS or flu) or complications from pregnancy.

Sources

• Felicitas Heyne, Psychologist
• Audiopedia ID: en020903