Male suicide rates ‘on the rise in Europe due to austerity’

Suicide rates among males have risen in the last few years as a result of austerity measures implemented throughout Europe.

This is according to a new study from the University of Portsmouth and Webster Vienna University, which was the first to examine the direct impact of fiscal austerity on suicide rates in the group of countries most affected by the Eurozone crisis.

The figures show that every one percent fall in growth rate of GDP in the Eurozone's periphery countries has coincided with a 0.9 percent increase in suicide rates across all ages – equivalent to more than 6,000 suicides over the period 2011-12.

When looking at spending cuts alone, men between the ages of 65 and 89 were most heavily affected, translating to 2,325 males in this bracket having committed suicide between 2011 and 2012 due to fiscal austerity.

It was indicated that some of these negative effects can be mitigated by the adoption of redistributive policies and by investing in stronger social protection.

Dr Nikolaos Antonakakis, an associate professor at Webster Vienna University, said: "These results have profound health and economic policy implications and raise substantial questions on the prolonged application of fiscal austerity without any safety nets."